


Fury

by diredreamings



Series: Faith on Fire [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Vernon Boyd & Erica Reyes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Moral ambiguity ahead, Multi, Pack Dynamics, Stiles is loyal, and by not exactly I mean not at all, but not exactly a good person, fae!Stiles, magical Stilinskis, mythological beasties
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-19 19:58:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 72,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3622332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diredreamings/pseuds/diredreamings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wherein things continue to go horribly wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Baaackkkk!
> 
> And so it begins...
> 
> I am unsure of the current state of update schedule because I want to make sure I have plenty ready so I can get through my last two weeks of classes and my week of vacation afterwards. It will be at least twice a week but I have to see what I have time to edit this week before I hit my last week filled with papers, tests, and homeworks. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

He pulled the blanket closer around him and stared, unseeing, at the wall. Ari was finishing bandaging his father’s arm and the two were speaking quietly. Stiles couldn’t hear a word over the rushing in his ears.

Scott was next to him. One arm wrapped around Stiles as if trying to keep him from shaking apart. Allison nudged a cup of tea into his hands and he held it reflexively though he doubted he could drink it. Everyone else had backed off. Stiles wondered vaguely if they were trying to give him space or just get away.

He kind of wanted to climb out of his own skin to get away right now, he wouldn’t blame them.

Not one bit.

There was a shifting in the room, a new presence. Stiles didn’t bother to look. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see.

He felt a hand press against his forehead, cool and large.

He would be embarrassed about the keening noise he made as he pressed into it later.

The hand stroked over his hair and Stiles slowly became aware of a low voice murmuring to him. “It’s alright. Shh, its okay, Stiles. You’re alright. Come on back, kid.”

“M-m-ma” Stiles could feel himself flush with embarrassment as his voice shook.

“Yeah, kiddo, it just me. Can you get up for me?”

Stiles nodded weakly and stumbled to his feet. The blanket trailed behind him like a cape as he allowed himself to be helped up the stairs to his Father’s room. “Da-dad.” He tensed worried, “Is he…?”

“Ari has him, Sti, don’t worry. He’s okay.”

“Blood. So much.”

“I know.” Stiles let himself be pushed gently onto the mattress. “Lie down. Relax.”

Stiles complied.

“Mattie?”

“Hm?”

“What happened?” He murmured, “What did I do?”

“Nothing bad. Everything is going to be fine.”

“You got here fast.”

“I was in San Francisco visiting my brother.”

“Oh.” Stiles paused, “Val isn’t back yet.”

“I know. I talked to him on the phone.”

“Oh.”

“Are you planning to open your eyes anytime soon?”

Stiles hadn’t even realized that he had closed them.

He blinked. His eyes took a few seconds to clear before he could focus on his cousin’s boyfriend’s face.

The older man smiled at him gently. “There’s those whiskey wonders. I was wondering where they got to.”

Matt backed off slightly and watched him as Stiles tried to focus. “Can you lie on your side?” He asked and then waited as Stiles slowly shifted. The older man pressed on Stiles shoulder gently, Stiles hissed in pain. “Already healing up. You’ll be fine. Better a couple of scratches than a blowout.”

Right, Peter had scratched him.

No, Peter had stopped him from doing something stupid.

“Should check dad.”

“Already did. He’s fine. I helped Ari reset the bone, he’ll be good as new in a  couple of hours.”

“Oh…Did he say what happened?”

“Hm?” The older man asked as he pressed lightly along Stiles spine through his t-shirt. “Looks like that was the only damage.”

Stiles nodded weakly, “My dad, what happened to him?”

Matt sighed. “Car accident.”

“Car—“

“He lost his Fate while driving home from his shift.” Ari’s voice said from the door. “The patrol car is a mess but he’ll be fine in an hour or so.”

“Good.” Stiles hesitated. “I’m sorry.”

Ari looked surprised, “What for?”

“I hurt you.”

He remembered that pretty clearly. He would not forget the tortured shout that his cousin had released as he dove to cover Stiles’ Dad from the blast.

“I’m fine.” Ari said with a smile, moving to sit next to him on the bed. “Everyone is fine. We were more shocked than hurt. Peter will heal quickly as well.”

Right, Peter had taken the brunt of the…whatever it was…when he had moved to stop Stiles.

“But he got hurt.” Stiles affirmed. “I hurt him. What the hell was that?!”

The last part came out a strangled shout.

“Magicks.” Ari said. “Sorcery magicks to be specific, unrefined but very powerful.”

“Sorcery?”

“It seems that we finally know what you are.”

“A sorcerer.” Stiles said bluntly, “I’m a sorcerer.”

“Yes. So it would seem.” Ari rubbed Stiles leg gently. “I will be able to find someone to help you learn. I know several sorcerers.”

“Oh, good. So I won’t blow things up every time I get stressed out. That’s a relief.” Stiles growled.

“You didn’t blow anything up, that isn’t a power sorcerers have. It was nothing for than a rather traumatic release of unknowingly channeled Magicks.” Ari told him. “You are not the first and you won’t be the last who comes into his power with a bang, Grzegorz.” He laughed, “You should have seen Ignacek, he struck me, Dad, and himself with lightning…twice. I refuse to go to classes all week, I looked like I had stuck my finger in an outlet and called it a look. This wasn’t so bad in comparison, I mean, at least you had actual stress happening, we were just hanging out in the pool.”

Stiles choked out a laugh. “Are there pictures?”

“Of momma’s boy finally becoming a man? There is video.” Ari scowled, “I’ve searched for years but she keeps it well hidden. She’d probably give it to you though, if you asked.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Stiles said.

All three of them sat in silence for a few minutes before Matt sighed. “I should call Val, let him know that I’m here.”

Ari nodded at him, “Let him know what happened and that everyone is okay.”

“Sure.”

“Oh, and that Iggy went to the Wastelands.”

“Got it.”

Stiles watched as the older man left the room before speaking, “So, what happens now?”

“The same thing that was happening before Uncle Justek came home.” He ruffled Stiles’ short hair, “Nothing has changed, Grzegorz.”

“I kind of wish it had.” Stiles muttered. They were still at square one and he felt like he was even more useless than he was before he had started blasting out magicks. Now he wasn’t in control. This wasn’t the most zen of situations and if he couldn’t handle stress without going all glowy, or worse, he was less than useless.

“Did you think that you would get your powers and then miraculously have full control? I did not raise you to have such blatant optimism, Grzegorz Stilinski.” Ari joked.

“You didn’t raise me at all.” Stiles laughed. “Honestly, I was hopeful.”

“Well, we’ll just have to squash that nonsense right out.” Stiles rolled his eyes. Ari grinned at him.

Suddenly a phone started to ring, Ari frowned and pulled out his cell, accepting the call. “Grandma?”

“Gram?” Stiles sat up abruptly.

Ari frowned tensely, “Is he alright?”

Stiles tried to lean in to hear the conversation and jarred his shoulder with a hiss. Ari sighed and switched to speaker, “Grandma, repeat that, I have Grzegorz here.”

“Hello, darling.” Stiles smiled hearing his Grandmother’s voice.

“Hey, Gram. What’s up?”

“Your grandfather fell down the stairs.”

“What?!” Stiles shouted, concerned.

“Oh, he’s fine dear. If a bit addled. He has been acting strangely all day, though. He was talking to that thing earlier.”

“His Fate?” Ari asked, “Did he say what it was telling him?”

“No. he’s been avoiding my questions all afternoon.”

“I have not, let me speak to them.” Stiles heard his Grandfather‘s muffled voice in the background.

“You, sit down, you snapped your leg like a twig and it hasn’t even been five minutes, let it heal.”

“Fine, bring me the phone, woman.”

“I’ll turn it on speaker.”

“Rajmund?” Their Grandfather’s voice suddenly got clearer.

“Here, Papa. Grzegorz is with me.”

“Oh, hello, Grzegorz.”

“Hi, Papa. Broken leg?”

“I’ll be fine within the hour, it was a clean break. Not the first time, likely not the last.” He said. “Your Grandmother is a worrywart.”

“I’ll tell you right now, if that thing doesn’t heal straight I will dump you on the back porch, rebreak it, snap the other one and leave you to suffer. Stay still.” She huffed, annoyed.

“I’m sitting as still as I can, woman. I’m not a statue.” He groused. “What is happening, Rajmund? I just lost contact with my Fate and she’s been agitated all day.”

“The fates are losing control.” Ari explained. “We don’t know why or how but it isn’t isolated. The faery king is putting all of the Enclaves into lockdown because they have run out of room in the holding cells. Fae have been losing their Fates for weeks, not realizing what is happening. It’s coming to a crux now.”

“Are you boys all right?”

“Yes, better now. It was a jarring experience losing them though. Even if it was different circumstances.”

“Different circumstances?”

“Complicated ones that are better explained in person. Once you are well, you should make your way to us if you can.”

“Of course.” Their grandmother answered. “Your mother and I already have our tickets for a flight tomorrow. Your grandfather and father have been summoned to the council but will join us as soon as possible.”

Stiles sighed. They were already running out of room. Maybe he could stay at Scott’s for a while.

“We will be waiting for you.” Ari said.

“Back to business, has Justek been having issues?”

“Yes. He crashed his car on the way home.”

Their grandmother gasped. “Is he alright?”

“Yes, he is fine. He should be healed in a couple hours. We got a bit of a scare though.”

“He was that badly injured?” Their grandfather asked worried.

Stiles flushed.

Ari laughed, “Not him. We have found out what Grzegorz is for certain now.”

“What?”

“He nearly had a blowout when his father came home injured. He is a sorcerer. I am already planning to contact someone about training him.”

“Nearly? What stopped him?”

“The pack’s left hand. Peter Hale. He had to scratch him up a little but it kept him in check.”

“Oh, is he alright?” Grams tutted. “I have heard about how bad blowouts can be for sorcerers, Anya Marchez was telling me about her son Daniel the other day. Arda had to restrain him and ended up in bed for a week.”

“It wasn’t bad. And Peter is a werewolf so he is a little more hardy than, what is Arda again?”

“Oh what was it, something Mexican.”

“Deunde, darling.”

“Right, that’s it.”

“Right, a Fairy species. Not known to be all that robust.”

“Still.”

“He’s fine. As is Grzegorz. We were lucky, it was a panic reaction, he didn’t come up with more than some sparking.”

“That’s good then. I will let the council know when we go.”

“Thank you.”

“Where are your brothers?”

“Wladyslaw is visiting the Kiss to see if they have any information and Ignacek is in the Wastelands with some other Faery Dola.”

“I see. You expect them back soon?”

“Wladyslaw, yes. Ignacek only just left half an hour ago.”

“Oh, I talked to Matthew earlier and he was on his way to you.”

“He is already here. He just went to try and get a hold of Val.” Stiles offered.

“See if you can’t get Justek to give you details on what happened to him, I want to present something to the council.”

“Sure.” Ari said.

“We’ll let you go then. I will text you with the details of our arrival later, we will need someone to pick us up.”

“Can do, Grams.” Stiles said.

“Love you all.”

“You too.”

The phone clicked off and Ari glanced at him, “How are you feeling? Up to talking to your Dad about what happened?”

“Sure, yeah. Hopefully I won’t panic again.”

“You won’t.”

Matt poked his head back in. “Hey, Val should be back in about an hour. He has more information.”

“Great.” Ari nodded. “We are coming downstairs.”

“Good, I’m ordering pizza, I’m starving and well you seem to have a pack of ravenous animals in your home, Stiles.”

“Funny man.”

“I certainly think so.”

Stiles laughed lightly, feeling better. Ari smiled and got off the bed reaching out to help Stiles as well. His shoulder was still a little tender.

“I should change my shirt, huh?”

“Probably, you’ve stopped bleeding and the wounds are nearly closed so you shouldn’t start again.”

“All right, I’ll be down in a minute then.”

Ari nodded and followed Matt downstairs leaving Stiles to change.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“I was having a tough time concentrating for the last few hours so I figured it was better to come home than sit around after my shift trying to get paperwork done that I was going to have to do all over again.” Stiles heard as he came down the stairs freshly changed. “I was fine most of the way home and then all of a sudden I just…forgot to use the brakes.”

His father was still sitting on the couch nursing a can of soda with one hand and resting his still healing arm on a pillow laid over the arm rest. Stiles settled next to him on the couch and listened. Allison gave him a small.l smile which he returned half-heartedly.

“It was the strangest thing. I’ve been driving for how many years? Driving down that street even, muscle memory should have made it so that doesn’t happen.”

“Muscle memory can fail you.” Lydia commented. “You should still pay attention.”

Stiles’ dad smiled at her. “I was, that’s the thing I knew the turn with the tree was coming, I was ready to brake, my foot was on the pedal and I just didn’t.”

“Your body isn’t used to having to make the conscious decision to do things like hit the brakes. It wasn’t muscle memory that failed, you were abruptly left fully in control of your body and you didn’t even realize it. If you had thought about it you could have pressed the brake, normally it’s not something you have to think about. It will take time to get used to.” Ari said and then frowned, “In fact, we all need to be very careful when doing things that could be dangerous right now, even things we have done for years will be different, we have to think about it now, in some case maybe even relearn everything.”

“Wait, is that why Stiles learned to drive so fast?” Scott muttered.

Ari nodded. “Probably, he wasn’t really learning it, his Fate was the one in control of the situation.”

“What, and that means that without one I won’t know how to drive?” Stiles snapped.

“Of course not.” Ari said, “You may have to think a little more to do it but it’s not like you don’t actually know how to drive. It will be harder on older Fae than younger, like Papa. He fell down the stairs because he forgot he had to step down. Our bodies don’t learn muscle memory the way a human would. Or, at least, not anymore. Anything that we had to learn we will have to consciously think about until our bodies catch-up, and yes, that may include things like walking and talking for some older Fae. We weren’t born knowing how to do it and the Fates have had control since birth.”

“Our bodies become reliant on them for everything.” Lydia said.

“Exactly, younger people adapt faster, we haven’t been as bound to them for as long. We don’t have the same amount of engrained habitual lack of control.”

“That’s what you mean be how dangerous this could be.” Stiles said. “If a Fae that, say, eats people doesn’t know how to control themselves then we have a major problem.”

“And that is exactly the issue at hand with the Sanguine.” Val said as he came appeared suddenly in the corner of the room by the bookcases. Isaac jumped a good foot in the air and partially shifted.

Val frowned, “Sorry about that, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

Isaac regained control and shook his head, “It’s okay. I was just startled.” Isaac still had the hardest time controlling his shifts when he was nervous.

Matt grinned and tugged Val over to sit with him. “Hi honey, you’re home.” Val rolled his eyes at him.

“Yes, Mattie.”

“What have you learned?” Ari asked.

“It’s worse than they let on.” He glanced at Matt, “I want someone with me at all time when I feed until I am sure I have control.”

Matt frowned worriedly but Ari nodded, “I was going to suggest that anyways.”

Val nodded and sighed, “The kiss has lost three in the past month. Other Kisses are even worse.”

“Lost?” Stiles asked, “You mean…?”

“They had to be put down by the local Dola. They went insane and refused to feed after accidently killing their donors or mates. They couldn’t stop feeding. The Draculs began to realize that something was very wrong when more than a week passed and none of them were being forced to feed by their Fates.”

Ari rubbed at his temples weakly, “That isn’t good.”

“No, its not.”

“But it isn’t all the Sanguine?” Lydia asked, “Some of them still have their fates?”

“Yes, for now. But the numbers are dropping fast. Dracul Maser lost his during our meeting; that is why I came back sooner than expected.”

“Shit, the other Draculs?” Ari asked.

“Dival and Ivanova dropped last week and Monday respectively. Dival killed his current donor and is currently on watch by his court. The others have not reported any issue as of yet but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Sanguine don’t like showing weakness, even among our own kind.”

“If word gets out it will become harder to find replacement donors as well.” Matt said.

Val nodded, “Honestly, if too many Sanguine start losing donors I’m afraid that some of the more radical Kisses will turn back to the old ways when they realize that the Fates don’t have control over them anymore. If they are worried about feeding from their donors and mates they might turn back to taking the majority of their feeding from ‘disposable’ strangers. In fact, it’s already starting in some of the other Kisses. There are reports of suspicious exsanguination deaths spotting the map surrounding the locations of the Kisses. Not many yet but more than there should be.”

“And they are not Nightwalker deaths?” Stiles asked. “They would be similar, right?”

“No, they aren’t. There are clear delineations between the two when it comes to the state that their victims are left in.”

“Like what?”

Ari looked at Stiles sharply, “Unimportant at the moment.”

“So, what can be done about the situation?” Stiles was surprised, it was Derek that spoke up. “The remaining Sanguine with fates can’t be left to deal with the ones without, there is no way of knowing when they will lose their own.”

“You’re right.” Val said, “That is what we were trying to discuss but the Kisses are less than cooperative with each other. Just because one offers a solution doesn’t mean the other will go along with it.”

“So, nothing can be done then.” Peter said. “At least until something goes so drastically wrong they no longer have a choice.”

Ari glared at him, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. This is going to affect more than just the Fae if things get out of hand. Humans are in equal, if not more, danger. And that includes that cursed breeds.”

Peter scowled at him. Val nodded, “I can feed from a werewolf just as well as a normal human and honestly I could probably get more strength out of it.” Matt frowned at him and he smiled, a little sheepish, “Not that I would.” Then he grinned, “Your blood will always taste the best to me Honey-bunny.”

“Call me that again, Asshole. And you had better not.” Val winced when his boyfriend pinched his thigh hard in retaliation.

“Love you too, Dickhead.”

Scott and Stiles snickered. Erica leaned in from her place on Boyd’s lap, “Are they always this sickeningly adorable?”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Ari muttered, half to himself, “It gets much, much worse.”

“Can’t wait.” She laughed.

Ari rolled his eyes, “Back to business, has anyone found anything interesting?”

“It is a little hard to know what we are supposed to be looking for.” Scott said, “It’s not like the news is reporting Fae attacks.”

“I know that. Anything that is strange or out of place gives us solid leads to begin with.”

“Okay, well this isn’t really out of place but a couple of different areas are reporting higher numbers of shark attacks in the past couple of months. I mean, not on land or anything but well…”

“Show me?” Ari asked.

Scott handed over his computer and opened up a page, “This is Australia.”

Ari nodded and spent a minute reading over the article. He nodded, “This is good. Or well, it is very bad but…you know what I mean.”

Stiles wasn’t entirely sure that he actually did.

“This could be sharks but it is unlikely that such a sharp spike in such a constrained time in a year that has supplied a solid non-human food source for sharks.”

“So, Fae?”

“Mers. Possibly Sirens but they usually just drown their prey, not eat them.”

“Mermaids eat people?” Isaac said looking a little queasy. “Like Ariel?”

“Not even remotely the same. The little mermaid more closely resembles water nymphs than mers.”

“First of all, most mers aren’t maids.” Val said. “The majority of them are either full male or intersexed. Only one in a hundred births are female and most don’t survive.”

“How do they procreate?” Lydia asked.

“I mentioned the intersexed thing, right?”

“Yes, but intersexed humans are almost always sterile.” Ari said. He turned to Lydia, “Intersexed Fae, of which there are quite a few species, don’t have that issue.”

“Oh. Then why aren’t they all intersexed? Why are full males and full females still born?”

“They are still evolving, eventually the females will die out and the males will lose virility until they are gone as well.”

“Interesting.”

“So, what do they look like if not Ariel?” Isaac asked.

“Horrifying.” Val said, bluntly. “Nightmarish. Disgusting. Take your pick.”

“Generally they look like clouds of kelp with talons, multiple rows of teeth and the bite reflex of a croc.” Ari said. “At least, that is what you would see if one attacked you. If you are talking about what they look like in a relaxed state, fairly humanoid, lots of muscles, grey to grey green skin, sharp teeth and glowing yellow eyes.”

“Oh.”

“Either way, not something you want to meet in a dark corner of the ocean.”

“Great.”

Val looked at Stiles’ dad, “How are you feeling, by the way?”

“I’m fine.” He shook his head, “Healing quick. I’d heal quicker if someone would allow me to move my arm.” He glared at Ari.

“Yeah, no. You don’t get to move until I’m totally sure that everything is healing properly, especially now that Grandma and Mom are coming. They’d have my head if your arm healed crooked.”

“On that note, why are you and Grandma so worried about that? I mean if the wolves get hurt they don’t have to do anything special, it just heals.”

“Fae are not that lucky.” Matt said, “It’s how I met Val, wasn’t it?”

“Hm?” Suddenly, Stiles remembered that Val had met Matt on a trip to the E.R. a few years back.

“The idiot had injured his arm and didn’t reset it properly, the arm was at entirely the wrong angle. I had to re-break it and set it for him.”

Val blushed, “I was on a mission, I couldn’t exactly stop to set the break. Besides, it worked out well in the end.” He grinned.

“It was kind of adorable to see you stumble to find an answer for how the hell you didn’t notice the issue before what appeared to be at least a month of healing time.”

“You could have told me you knew what I was.”

“I liked watching you flail.”

“You knew?” Stiles asked. “Before Val?”

“Sure. My aunt married a Fae, it was hard to keep the rest of the family out of it. I didn’t expect to run into one on my first round at the E.R. at my new job but hey.”

“So the healing kicks in immediately, right? Same as with the weres?” Lydia asked and Ari nodded at her.

“Yes, but honestly it is less like healing and more like cell surge. Our skin will re-knit, bone will grow, some fae can even regrow limbs and organs, but it is totally unguided and, if we don’t make sure it is prepped for healing, weird things can happen.”

“Strange angles, extra limbs, I think someone accidently grew an exoskeleton once because the bone broke through their skin.”

“I don’t know that that actually counted as an exoskeleton, Wladyslaw.”

“His skeleton grew outside his body thus, exoskeleton.” Val insisted. “Regardless, strange things.”

“Seems like flawed planning to me.” Danny snickered.

“Maybe,” Ari admitted, “but it is what it is. It takes a lot to break us so healing happens less frequently.”

“Your Grandfather broke his leg falling down the stairs. That seems like a fairly normal point of injury.”

“Not when you take into account the fact that the stairs we are referring to are solid marble and sixteen feet tall.” Val said with a laugh.

“Papa and Gram’s place has really high ceilings.” Stiles said with a smile at the startled look on his friend’s faces.

“Also, old bones.” Val joked, “He’s fragile.”

Ari rolled his eyes, “That has nothing to do with his age and you know it.” He glanced around the room and explained, “Not all Fae species are as hardy, our Grandfather is more on the breakable side, as is Ignacek, they are both Faery.”

“Lighter density in order to fly.” Lydia said.

Ari smiled at her, “Exactly.” He frowned tipping his head, “Though, other flying Fae like Valkyrie and Harpies have some of the most invulnerable frames.”

Matt nodded, “My understanding is that Faery skeletons are quite similar to human ones with slightly toughened outer bone and a lot more marrow to make them lighter. It’s part of the reason that they cannot fly for long distances. Harpy skeletons are made of a totally different material, much stronger, much lighter. Valkyrie are something in between.”

“Really?” Lydia asked, curious. “From myth I would think that they are fairly humanoid.”

“Valkyrie are. Harpies look more like birds than humans.” Val told them. “Beaks and everything.”

“Interesting.” Lydia said, looking at Matthew, “You know a lot about Fae physiology?”

“Enough to make sure none of these idiots end up dead or with spare parts.” He said with a joking glare at his boyfriend and his brother.

Allison looked interested as well, “Think you could teach us? I mean, I’m not great at biology but…”

He laughed, “Sure, I’m sure I have some stuff on the care and healing of shifter breeds which would help taking care of your bunch.”

“We heal.” Derek grumbled but offered no particular protest when the girls nodded eagerly.

“You have an Alpha pack coming, wounds from them won’t heal as fast, someone is going to have to know how to keep your innards inside long enough for your healing to kick in.” Ari scoffed.

Derek winced when the majority of his beta’s turned to stare at him. “What?”

“Alpha wounds don’t heal as fast?” Scott asked.

“I was freaking out when I wasn’t healing from that scratch you gave me in training.” Erica whined, “You couldn’t have told me?”

“I didn’t think about it.”

Ari frowned and sighed, “Don’t blame him too harshly. Remember he and his uncle were raised in a familial pack. They likely never thought about it just like you wouldn’t think about telling an adult not to touch a stove because it’s hot. There are certain things that are so engrained in your mind that you stop thinking about them.”

The pack looked unconvinced but nodded faintly, still glaring at their alpha lightly.

Stiles kind of got it though, and it was something that he had never really thought about before. Now that he was thinking about it he wondered how much was lost in translation between the two born wolves and their turned pack.

He would talk to Ari as soon as he could and…Peter, probably. They should come up with a plan to get the betas up to snuff in their werewolfy knowledge. He had a feeling that Derek would be less than helpful, he was starting to understand that Derek was naturally the more thrash and bash type and Peter would have to be the brains of the operation.

Fun.

“So, what do we do now?” Danny asked.

“We keep researching.” Ari said. “You are good with computers, right?”

“Sure.” Danny said with a touch of nerves.

“Could you set up an email address, a private one, and start working on creating a database of information that we have found? Work with Mr. Hale, he was transcribing most of what we said anyways.”

Stiles wondered how Ari knew that, if it was true. Judging by the nod that Peter gave not looking up from his laptop he guessed that it was.

Danny looked relieved (Stiles couldn’t blame him, the last time a Stilinski asked for his computer help it was decidedly less legal) and nodded happily, “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Great.” Ari nodded sharply and looked around the room. “Keep doing what you were doing before, pass info through Wladyslaw and Matthew and they can help sort out Fae from normal. I have to make a few phone calls but I will be back as soon as I can.”

He smiled at them and took off up the stairs, Val sighed, “I have no idea how he has managed being a student for so long, he is flighty as hell when it comes to doing research.”

Stiles laughed.

***

Stiles followed his dad into the kitchen when the man left to take a call from the station. The Sheriff rolled his eyes at his son but did not ask him to leave.

"Stilinski." He answered the call.

Stiles could hear frantic and high-pitched shouting coming through the phone. 

Marla.

The receptionist at the station, the cruiser's tow must have been reported.

"Marla, I'm fine. I'm at home."

"No, I didn't go to the hospital it was just a few scratches, my nephew's boyfriend is visiting and he's a RN. Clean bill of health."

More babbling and at least two angry swears followed.

The sheriff flinched at one particularly loud shriek, "Marla, honestly. I swerved to avoid hitting a stray dog and hit a tree. I'm just fine. I was kind of shocked that the cruiser looked so damaged."

Stiles giggled at the annoyed look on his father's face.

Suddenly the Sheriff tensed and looked contrite, "Right, blood on the door. I know, I was nicked by the window glass when I crawled through it. No big deal."

Stiles to pity on him and stole the phone, "Marla?"

"Stiles! Why is your father not at the hospital?!" The older woman barked at him.

"Honestly, he's fine, Marla." Stiles told her soothingly. "I freaked out to but Matt patched him up and checked him over. We are going to keep an eye on him and if anything happens take him in."

"Why not just take him now?" She snapped.

He looked at his dad who mouthed at him.

"Insurance." Stiles said. "No point in screwing up the costs when he got worse from the treed cat in November."

"That's why the police have insurance, Stiles."

"We know but he honestly is fine and since we have a ton of people over we didn't want to leave our guests. Like I said, we'll watch him." Stiles thought for a moment, "I can get Matt if you want. You can ask him anything you want."

She sighed, "Matt is your cousin's boyfriend?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Fine. get him."

Stiles nodded at his dad who moved to retrieve the other man. A few seconds later they returned, "Marla?" Stiles said and recieved an annoyed grunt in response, "I'm going to give you to Matt now."

"Fine."

Stiles handed the phone over to Matt who took it and started to talk to Marla.He glanced at his dad who shrugged, "I didn't really think about the blood."

"That was stupid." Stiles shook his head. "She's going to be watching you like a hawk once you are back at work."

"The insurance issue should cover for me not going to the hospital."

"This is Marla." Stiles laughed, "You not being in the car at the time wouldn't sound like sufficient reason to not go to the hospital to her. She knows us too well. Bodily injury is a mainstay in the Stilinski household."

"Yeah, yeah. Go back in there and help out, I want to talk to Marla after Matt is done."

"Sir, yes sir." Stiles saluted his father jokingly as he left the room. He flopped down on the floor with a grin, "What am I supposed to be doing again?"

Lydia rolled her eyes at him and pointed at a laptop, "Read."

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all,
> 
> So, I have made my decision on the posting schedule for Fury (at least for a while) and, sorry to say it isn't going to be like this week, I am only going to be posting once a week from here on out, on Saturdays. The next couple of weeks are hellish for me in terms of college and then I am going away for a week and honestly I am a little stuck on the chapters I am working on, nothing big but I'm not getting anything coming to me at this point which might just be stress. Fingers crossed.  
> If you don't care about anything but this story feel free to skip the rest.  
> In other news, I've been doing a little brainstorming for future projects as well, not that this is going to end any time soon. If anyone is interested in seeing some snippets of future stories or seeing my inspiration for FoF or any of my other not yet posted works I have created a tumblr for my writing, direwrites.tumblr.com, which is pretty empty right now but that will change soon. There is going to be a post going up tonight about plot bunnies and the tag that I am going to be using for it and that will quickly be followed by the first little blurb about a specific bunny. Hint, hint (its a teen wolf one). I'd love to hear your feedback on any bunny I post on there and would love to share some of my inspiration for this story and my writing in general. So if you have a tumblr feel free to follow it. (I will be tagging for spoilers for FoF if I post any so you can always block those posts if you want. 
> 
> Enough of this self promotion nonsense, on with the story...

“What about this?” Jackson asked Lydia quietly turning his tablet to face her. She scanned quickly and nodded.

“I have three cases on three continents, it goes on the list.” She tells him. Stiles wonders what exactly these cases were but figures of question it later.

It’d been two hours of nonstop research mode. Stiles stressed his neck as he scanned an article about some strange animal sightings in Canada. He contemplated getting up to stretch his legs and get another soda.

At least they had some now.

Boyd had gone in a run an hour ago for caffeine, snacks, and veterinarian pickup duty. Stiles house had never been so full of red bull and cheese puffs before.

He glanced around the room after sending the article to the encrypted email address Danny at set up immediately for their speed databasing needs. He and Val were huddled over his laptop at the kitchen table going through everything that came for sorting the Fae from the foolish and logging it.

Scott and Isaac were sprawled on the floor going over some of those hokey fantasy world sighting sites. They were constantly flipping around in the small pile of books that Ari had brought down for them, trying, desperately, to distinguish the pixies from the albino flying squirrels of the world.

It was slow work.

Erica was paging through a stack of the will ‘The Pagan Principle’ and ‘Druidic Weekly’. Back issues that the doc had brought with him. Stiles hadn’t been the only one laughing when he plopped those bad boys in front of her. She sighed deeply and glared at the magazines.

Journal would be giving them too much credit.

Stiles fought off a snicker.

Boyd and his dad were, more than a little illegally, going through police reports on his work laptop.

Plausible deniability and all.

Stiles had been vetoed on that job. Apparently he was too easily distracted by crime.

Justice was a worthy distraction, thank you very much.

Ari and Deaton were upstairs somewhere talking and Derek was frowning at his notebook petulantly. Peter was typing away on his MacBook looking thoroughly bored. His research partner, Matt, did not look much better.

Stiles got up and skirted around Jackson and Lydia to get his drink. He is popping atop a can of Mountain Dew when the doorbell rang which, was really very all considering Allison was the only one not there and she had been called home less than 15 minutes ago to help her parents with their particular marching orders and she left the door unlocked.

He stared blankly at the door as his father answered it. A woman. A tiny one. Stiles started as his dad took one look at her and called up the stairs, “Ari!”

“Yes?” Stiles cousin’s voice floated down the stairs.

“Ass! Get down here!” The woman called muscling past the Sheriff carelessly.

Whoa, cue uncomfortable Kate flashbacks.

The little blonde was clad in jeans and a leather bomber jacket with a disproportionately large sword swung over her shoulder.

What would the neighbors think?

There was some shuffling upstairs before Ari appeared at the top, “Ryan?” He questioned as he descended, “what are you doing here?”

“Well, I was on assignment but the mark didn’t show. Then my little parasite –“ she tapped her own head, “tried to hijack me. Then I get a call from Mags, who had just talked to your mama and then whoosh, I nearly stepped off a fucking cliff. Three Monsters and a LoJack spell later here I am.”

“You too, then. And Magdalena?”

“Yeah. Now, care to explain what the hell is going on?”

“Come in first.” Ari stood aside to let her into the living room. “Wladyslaw, the Adderall?”

Stiles watched as Val grabbed the small bottle off the kitchen table and brought it to his brother who handed it over to the woman, Ryan. She took the offered pill and dry swallowed it. She closed her eyes and started to glow. A moment later she was back to normal and opened her eyes with a grin. “Now there’s the good stuff. Okay, now spill.”

“Um. Nope. Hold up. What the hell is that?” Erica asked.

“Ryan Is a Sorceress, one of us.”

“Just a little spell to speed up the metabolism. Works great on those eat everything in sight days.” She flushed bright smile. “Ryan Harper, at your service.” She looked around, “Wolves, right? Weird.”

“This is the Hale pack. Grzegorz’s friends.”

“Werewolves, research lackeys, same difference.” Erica muttered pushing away from the stack of magazines.

“Don’t be bitter just because you got stuck with the weekly druid gossip rags.” Isaac smirked at her. She stuck out her tongue.

“Grzegorz? The puny one? Big ears, lots of cute little moles?” Stiles flushed at her description.

“He has grown.” Ari laughed.

“Not 18 though. What? 15, 16?”

“16. There were… Mitigating circumstances.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice. Always thought you Stilinskis were an odd bunch with your age rules. Where is he then?”

Stiles tried to duck back into the kitchen was betrayed by Erica, who pointed at him without hesitation., Ryan strode across the room and began looking him over. “Going to these then.” She pulled his ear, “and these,” and kicked his shoes. “He’s a cutie.” She turned to Ari. “I like this version much better than the one with the mudpies.”

Oh God.

Mudpies.

“He’s a sorcerer, too. A bit off, but you, definitely one of ours.”

“It’s a long story.” Ari told her. “Anyways, we don’t have anything new on the why front.”

“So, we just know that the fates are losing control fast. Be long before it’s the rest of the Fae too.”

“It’s already happening. Problems have been gradually increasing over the last few months.”

“Well, point me where you need me. How can I help?” She grinned.

“You have more connections among the Fae than me.”

“Yeah. I can do that. Got someplace for me to set up?”

“Grzegorz’room is free now that we’ve cleaned it up.”

Oh.

Awesome.

“Perfect.” She turned to Stiles. “Hey cutie, want to learn some magicks?” She fluttered her fingers at him and his heart jumped into his throat.

Did he want to learn some magicks? What kind of question was that?

“Hell yeah.”

***

“Oh yeah. You, I like you. Like a freaking energizer bunny. So much power burning up in there.” Ryan grinned as she watched him, making sure he said everything correctly.

Stiles smiled to himself, as he left the third can do with his mind without singeing the rug.

This was awesome.

“One more, kid.”

He concentrated, willing the final wick to light and giggled giddily when it did so immediately, “So. Much. Awesome.”

“It only gets better.” She laughed. “Okay, so basic scrying set up. Makes for a quick, convenient way to communicate with most Fae. Manipulator or not, basically anyone can scry.”

Stiles frowned at that. There went that special feeling.

“Don’t look at me like that. The fire trick is all sorcery. We haven’t scryed yet. Just so you know, it takes most of us a good month to get that trick down. I nearly burned in my house twice trying to figure that one out. You’re doing well.”

“Okay, what now?” He asked, feeling better.

“Well, since you were untrained we’re using water. It’s easiest to work with. Fae that scry typically use either water or mirrors. We can figure out your particular conduits later.” Stiles nodded. He kind of wished he had a notebook to write some of this stuff down. “I normally use crystal, but that’s a bit… Picky, flaky? For a first timer, at least. Water will feel better, get you a nice clear connection. Ready?”

“Yes.” Stiles took Ryan’s hands forming a circle over the bowl of water.

“Okay. We are looking for Marius Keller. Just think about the name, Grzegorz.”

“Stiles.” He muttered, “everyone calls me Stiles.”

“Except Ari, I bet. He’s always been a stickler for that.”

Stiles nodded with a chuckle.

“Anyways, Stiles. Marius Keller. He lives in London. A Faery, like Iggy. Greywing. Just think about him and look into the water. Just him. Nothing else.”

Stiles stared at the water. Marius Keller, he chanted internally. Marius Keller, the Greywing Faery living in London. Marius Keller… Marius Keller…

He felt sort of weird. Floaty. Like he was on a cloud, but also like is being swallowed up by the water. It was filling up his senses, distracting him, enticing him.

No.

He shook himself, he couldn’t be distracted.

Marius Keller… Marius Keller… Marius Kell –

“Who’s this then?”

Stiles jumped, making Ryan laugh at him. “Good job, kid.” She told him. Stiles stared into the water when the image of a dark man piercing gray eyes like Iggy’s stared back at them. “Hi, Mar. It’s just me.” She smiled brightly as she nudged Stiles over slightly so more of her own face was over the bowl.

“Ah, Ryan. How are you, beautiful?”

“Been a bit of a weird one actually. Have a few questions for you.”

“Sure thing, bit. Introductions first though, only polite. Marius Keller.” The man said with a smile.

It took Stiles a minute to realize he was speaking to him. “Uh. Stiles. Um, Grzegorz Stilinski. But, just Stiles.” He responded.

“Stilinski, eh? Nice to meet you. You’d be Iggy-boy’s little cousin then?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Turned out to be a sorcerer, then. So like the Stilinskis, not a dupe in the bunch.”

“Powerful little thing, too.” Ryan grinned. “I might have to stick around a while, train him up a bit.”

“S’good. Anyway, you have questions?”

“Right. So, anything odd happen with yours in the last few months?”

“Six months, specifically.” Stiles added, shaking off the stupor. “Also, anything really strange in the last, oh, six hours or so?”

“Alright then. Like what then? I live next to a family of pixies, things are always a bit odd.”

Ryan looked Stiles expectantly. Right, he knew better than her therefore, his job. “Um. Well, last few hours… Unexplained clumsiness? Forgetfulness? And in the last six months maybe anyone doing something they normally don’t? Uh. Interacting with humans?”

Killing them?

“See. I already like him better than you, specifics. The that wishy-washy obfuscation.” Marius laughed, “Let me think. Well, the pixies were making quite a racket about an hour ago. Something about a candle and a frog? Like I said, they are always a bit off. The clumsiness though, this whole week has been odd. I’ve walked into doors four times. Starting to think I may need specs. The brownie upstairs took a spill and a half downstairs yesterday and we have had a healer ’round four times for various mishaps. Hell, we have to call healer for the healer that came Wednesday. Smashed his head on the overhead cabinet.”

Oh, that wasn’t sounding good.

“Nothing bad odd in the last six months though, not here at least. Heard some rumors about a couple of Crones by the coast in Cardiff, though. You ought to check with Rhiannon. You know, the selkie who hangs about the quay?”

“Yeah. I know her. I’ll do that. Thanks, Mar, you are a big help.” Ryan said.

“No problem. I’ll do a little digging around here, let you know if I find anything. That Brownie I mentioned has an elf boyfriend, maybe he’ll have heard something useful.”

“Sounds good. We appreciate it.”

Marius nodded and then faded from view. Ryan looked Stiles and smiled, “nice job, cutie. Very stable for first timer, not even a flicker. Color me impressed.”

“Thanks. That was really cool.” Stiles grinned at her, “can we do it again?”

“Sure thing. Need to call the silky and I got a couple of friends in Tokyo and Helsinki that we should try. But first, I need food and caffeine.”

“Cold pizza and Mountain Dew?”

“Make it redbull and toss in some of those cool Ranch Doritos that I saw down there and I’ll teach you how to make them 3-D.”

“Seriously?”

“I don’t joke about cool Ranch Doritos, boy.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't super long, I know, but it is what it is. I finished my last day of classes for the semester today but I still have finals next week and then I leave on vacation for a week next friday. So, I am posting today and then probably on thursday evening and after that, not until the next saturday. No worries though, I should at least get into a regular schedule after that, here's hoping.

“Thanks, Rhiannon. I’ll let you get back to grooming your pelt, then.” Ryan signed off and leaned back, reaching into the bag of chips. “So, we’ve got Crone issues in Cardiff, poor kiddies.”

Stiles nodded and finished typing up a summary of what the selkie had said. He backed out of the conversation halfway through. “She was really, really, naked though.”

“She was indeed. Would be tricky talking to a seal, don’t you think?  Hey, good job with the 3-D scrying, by the way.”

Stiles shuddered, “Thanks for reminding me.” Rhiannon, the selkie, was not a young, nubile woman.

Myths lie.

LIE.

“Aw, is the baby sorcerer scarred for life?” She mocked, “tell you what, I’ll give you a choice this time. Japan or South Korea?”

“What happened to Helsinki?”

“He’s not home right now.”

“How do you know?” Ryan held up her phone open on… “Is that snapchat?!”

“It is. He’s clubbing, horny bastard. Well, can’t expect much from an incubus.”

“Fae use Snapchat?”

“You can also find us on Facebook and twitter. I know a brownie that lives for Pinterest and a Whovian harpy with a pretty popular tumblr blog. Internet is one of the only safe places for Fae to interact with humans.”

“Wow, cool.”

“Anyways, Japan or South Korea?”

“Um. South Korea.”

“All right.” She went the Doritos salt on a paper towel and took his hands, “same process. Son Kyungri. Gumiho.  Gangnam, Seoul.”

Son Kyung-ri, was that a guy or girl?

Son Kyung-ri, Gumiho… That was a Fox, right?

Son Kyung-ri, Gumiho, Gangnam, Seoul. O-o-o-oppa Gangnam sty – dammit, Scott! Son Kyung-ri… Son Kyung-ri… Son Kyung-ri… Son Kyung – “Yeoboseyo?” ri.

“Yeoboseyo, Kyungri-ah.” Ryan replied to the stunning young woman with the nine tails.

Definitely a fox... in more ways than one.

“This is Grzegorz Stilinski. Stiles, for short.”

“Annyonghaseyo, Stiles-ssi.” She smiled sweetly at him, “to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“Um. Questions. Have we. For you. Um.” Stiles stuttered.

“We have some questions, Kyungri.” Ryan rolled her eyes, “though I think I will be asking them this time.” Ryan laughed openly as Stiles flushed. The young Fox – woman giggled musically.

“Of course. I’m afraid I don’t have long. Dinner plans, you understand.”

“Of course. Two things, have you heard any odd rumors in the last six months, and have you noticed some clumsiness or forgetfulness and last few hours or any time this week?”

“Rumors? Well, many. Things have been very odd, as of late. I can email you a list if it would be more convenient.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“As for the other question, I’ve had some strange balance issues all day and my tails keep getting in the way.” She huffed prettily, “I’ll be glad to be rid of them.”

“I’m sure. How many you up to now?”

“600.” She said proudly, “601 tonight.”

“And you’ve been keeping to the rules?”

“Of course. I always do.”

“See that you do.” Ryan says, warning in her voice. “I’ll let you go then. Send me the list when you can.”

“I will. Goodbye.” She looked at Stiles, “goodbye Stiles, if you are ever in Seoul…”

“Goodbye, Kyungri” Ryan rolled her eyes and shook her head at Stiles. “Snap out of it, kid. You do not want to mess with that, she’s a man eater.”

“Dude, I would be happy to get my heartbroken by her.”

“The issue is more eating than breaking, Stiles. Gumiho consume the hearts of men. And livers… Random other bits too, depends on how hungry they are. And baby girl hasn’t had living boy in a long time. 1000 man in 1000 years and she becomes human.”

Stiles felt queasy, “she eats people?”

“Men, just men. Dead men right now. We have rules of consent. She can only consume a living man with informed consent.”

“Informed –?!”

What the hell did that sound like? So, hi. I’m going to consume your flesh and organs, you good with that?

Jesus.

“Yeah. Takes a special kind of crazy for that.”

Jesus.

“Hey, how's it going in here?” Iggy poked his head into the room before entering completely. “I hear you're hoarding the redbull.”

“You’re back. How did it go?” Stiles greeted him.

Ryan dangled one of the cans in question in front of his cousin, “What are you going to give me for it?” She quipped.

“The last three of Stiles’gingersnaps that are remaining.” He grinned and held out the cookies, “I’ve been hiding them.”

“You cook?” Ryan crowed and moaned as she bit into one. “Okay, I’m calling Len. You are too young for me, but I’m thinking a spring wedding.” She grabbed the other two, handing over the cans. “Fair deal.”

Iggy grinned and took a drink from the closest pack as he sat down beside Stiles on the floor. “Len is Lennon, her baby sister. She’s what, 20?”

“19. Two weeks ago. And she’s smoking. You’ll like her.”

“She is pretty fine, honestly.” Iggy nodded. “I’d date her, but she’s not a fan of wings.”

“No, she likes wings just fine. If you she’s not fond of.”

“Ouch.” Stiles laughed at Iggy’s affronted lock.

“What did I ever do to her?”

Ryan shrugged, “not a clue. She was happily using a photo of you as target practice last week though.”

“Women.” He sighed, “moving on from your sister’s obvious issues, who have we talked to?”

“Keller and Rhiannon then Ms. Son over in Seoul. She likes your cousin.”

“Oh man.” He laughed. “Don’t even go there Stiles.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. She’d eat me alive… Literally. Ha ha.”

“We were about to call up Kushiiro.”

“Oh, ew.”

“Don’t be mean.”

“Sorry. Just, he takes bowl cut to a whole new level.” He turned to Stiles. “He’s a Kappa, they have this like divot that’s filled with –“

“water. Yeah, I know that one.” Stiles grimaced suddenly very glad he had chosen South Korea.

“Anyways, Ari actually sent me. The Argents have some news and are on their way over. Should be here any minute.”

“Great.” Stiles groaned.

“Argents?”

“Werewolf hunter family. Their daughter Allison is dating my best friend Scott… The beta.”

“Fun times.”

“It gets worse, believe me.” Stiles muttered.

“Yeah. Ari had them calling around to their buddies to see if any Fae nonsense is slipping into their radar.” Iggy explained. “Apparently it has, and distressing enough to get them into the house filled to capacity with weres and Fae so, big news. Ari wants everyone down there.”

“We might want to… I don’t know, tether the corpse somewhere outside. As much of a deranged bitch as she was, he still killed Daddy Argent’s kid sister.”

“Oh now there’s a story.”

“Ari needs Hale there. He finished logging the last six months and well, it is looking good on the Fae involvement front.”

“Awesome.”

“Someone is going to have to give me a little more background soon. I feel like I’m missing some big ass chunks of information.” Ryan said, stretching and getting up.

“Believe me, we all are. We have a lot of puzzle pieces from what appears to be six different puzzles that are almost identical.”

“All right, lets head down and.” She gathered up the remaining rebels and headed for the door. She paused briefly and the candle flames shone bright green for a moment before returning to normal. “Stasis spell. It’ll keep them from catching shit on fire while we’re gone.” She explained to Stiles. “I’ll show you later.”

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Howdy all! So I'm finally done with all my classes and finals and so ready to go on vacation tomorrow!!! My last week was hellish not only with trying to get shit done but then my computer picked up a virus somewhere (Ugh) so I had to have it fixed. Luckily I had already handed in all of my papers because they had to wipe the whole thing because of a corrupted OS file. But its all better now (my poor baby :( ) So like I said, soooo ready for a break. But first, the promised chapter...

“Seriously, and you people get offended by the dog jokes?” Stiles sniped at Scott and Isaac after nearly tripping over them coming down the stairs. They were sitting on the steps staring at the front door looked lost puppies waiting for master to come home.

Or, in this case, mistress.

“She’ll be here in a few minutes. Put the tail wagging on hold and go act like a strong, competent pack.”

“But the door –“

“Is unlocked. And Allison knows that, she is the one that left it unlocked. Move.” Stiles kicked Scott lightly in the back and then pushed past him as he got up. He made his way into the living room followed by Ryan and Iggy. Scott and Isaac sat right back down on the stairs though. Stiles sighed and looked at Derek who was scowling at them from his seat on an armchair. “Your fault. You and evil undead. Teenagers? Really?” He sat down on the couch heavily. “And what’s up with Lahey? He’s nearly as bad as Scott.”

It was Peter them answered him as he came in from the kitchen. “McCall is attached to Argent and Lahey is attached to McCall, thereby, Lahey is attached to Argent. It’s a thing. Happens in Wolf packs occasionally. Personally, I don’t get it.”

“You wouldn’t.” Derek scowls, “you’re asexual.”

“Wrong. I’m aromantic. Sex is great. It’s the emotion that seems foolish to me.”

Stiles was learning all kinds of interesting and totally unwanted factoids about Peter Hale lately.

Everyone settled in the seats around the room almost immediately following into rank order. And wow, Stiles really noticed the lopsidedness of the pack now. Particularly without Scott there.

Ari was right, so not a stable pack.

He heard the door open and Chris Argent’s voice spoke,” McCall.” Stiles could almost picture the cold glare on his face and his wife’s glare of absolute, but ridiculously polite, disdain for their daughter’s boyfriend.

They didn’t bother to greet Isaac.

The group walked in, Scott and Isaac trailing behind the Argents. The betas quickly found their position on opposite sides of Derek.

Ari stood and walked over to them. He shook Mrs. Argent’s hand first, then Mr. Argent’s. “A pleasure to see you again. Thank you for joining us, and for your help.”

“Yes, well.” Mama Hunter was the picture of dignity, as usual.

Ari smiled at Allison who offered a weak smile in return. He gestured around the room “I assume you are familiar with the Hale pack.” He indicated where Stiles was sitting with his cousins and father, “these are my brothers Ignacek and Wladyslaw. This,” he nodded to Matthew, “is Wladyslaw’s partner, Matthew. You, of course, know Grzegorz and Uncle Justek”

“Yes. Hello again, Sheriff Stilinski. Stiles.” Chris Argent replied.

“Mr. Argent.” Stiles’dad nodded his greeting. “Mrs. Argent.”

“And this is a friend of the family, Ryan Harper.” Ari indicated Ryan who sat perched on the arm rest of the couch next to Stiles.

“A pleasure.” She offered halfheartedly.

“You have some information for us?” Ari questioned as the couple sets stiffly on the remaining empty chairs.

“We have learned of some… Disturbing… Incidences in the past few months that seem to correlate with your inquiries.”

“Yes?”

Chris spoke up at his wife’s indication. “Several hunting teams have been lost by various families that hunt other creatures.”

“And this is odd?” Val asked. “Hunting is dangerous.”

“Entire teams. 8 to 10 men and women, all highly trained for their missions. Some were found. Slaughtered. Others is simply disappeared. Not a trace.”

“I can see how that would alarm your community.” Ari offered.

“There have also been hunt sort of gone completely awry. No one injured, but they were unable to eliminate their targets.” Victoria added. “While it is, admittedly not unheard of for a target to evade us, we’ll been informed that the normal methods of killing their given species were used and the marks just walked away.”

“Do you specific information about these incidences? Locations, times, dates, what they were thought they were hunting?”

“For some. As many as we could. Others were less than willing to part with their secrets.” She sighed, “particularly to us.”

“One of the missions gone wrong was a witch hunt.” Allison told him. “People were getting cursed in a little town on the East Coast. The which was stabbed in the heart with an ash stake and lit on fire. They cast a spell which made the flames glow green and then just walked out of them pulling the stake out of their chest.”

“A sorcerer, then.” Ryan said.

“They used a stasis spelled to keep the flames from burning them, right?” Stiles asked her. “Like you did with the candles upstairs.”

“Good. I doubt their hunters would’ve caught the red flicker, but he would’ve had to freeze them in time as well if he could just step out of the flames.”

Freeze time?!

“The hunters and never had such issues with a witch before.”

“Well, they weren’t dealing with a witch now were they? They weren’t dealing with a human at all.” Ari explained. “They may have had to the wrong man or, with everything that’s happening, more likely the curses were the sorcerer’s idea of a prank.”

“A prank?! Children were going mute, technology was going dangerously haywire.” Chris barked.

“Well, the tech might’ve been an accident.” Ryan said. “We tend to have issues with machines when we first come into contact with them. Well, unless we’re raised around them.” She nodded at Stiles, “you should remove any tech from the vicinity when you practice a new trick just in case. Your magicks are fairly stable, but you have a lot of it. Better safe than paying for a new phone every other week.” She smiled at him before turning to look at the Argents again. “If he was new to interacting with humans and their technology that might explain it. He was probably young and part of one of the more secluded communities. Most of us can, and do, use tech once our magicks stabilize with training.”

“And the mute children?” Chris growled.

“Annoyance?” Peter offered, earning a glare from the Argents. “What? Am I wrong?”

“Unfortunately, he may not be.” Ari said. “If it was one of the Fae that the fates have lost control of and they didn’t know how to cope crying children, or other rambunctious noises, may have triggered his magicks to correct the issue.” He explained with a sigh. “Even with the stimulants I can’t imagine even we would react to rowdy children well at the moment.”

“Personally,” Ryan joked, “I never react well to kids.”

“So, if the curses weren’t witches like the hunters assumed the hunt was useless anyways.”

“They weren’t wrong to go. If it was a witch the curses would be permanent. Even after death. Not that sorcerers can’t do permanent spells. Accidental Magicks use never is though. Did the children regain speech? They should have when he left.”

“I don’t know. They did not say.” Victoria told them.

“They assumed it was a witch.” Chris added, “I doubt they ever checked. As you said, witches’ curses are normally permanent.”

“Can you see if they are willing to check into it?”

“Yes. I’m sure they will be. If the children are all right, I’m sure they will feel better about the situation as a whole.” Chris nodded.

“Any other information?” Ari asked, “the other incidents?”

Allison gave him a folder “this is everything they were willing to give us. Yes, it’s printed because it was faxed to us which is stupid but, whatever.” She frowned, annoyed. “I wrote down the info we got on the ones that wouldn’t give us hard copies.”

“Including names?” Ryan asked.

Mrs. Argent balked, “I don’t see how that is pertinent informa –“

“I marked each one.” Allison told the sorceress, ignoring her mother.

“Good. I know some people that of worked with or as cursed breed hunters. I’ll make my own calls.”

“Based on the information we gathered just from the humans, it is pretty clear that Fae are wandering out of bounds at the very least. Ryan, have you and Grzegorz found anything?”

“Sure have.” Ryan said with a grimace. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

There was good news?

Stiles didn’t remember anyone telling them anything that could be categorized as even remotely good news.

“Let’s start with the good news, we could use some.”

“Stiles is picking up Magicks like a sponge.”

“That’s good. We’re going to need all the power we can get to trying to contain this problem.”

“Now, the bad news.” Ryan said, suddenly serious. “Everyone we have talked to have been reporting confusion, clumsiness, and forgetfulness over the past week with higher rates today. Kyungri is sending me a list of rumored she’s heard, but Rhiannon over in Cardiff reports that the flux of missing kids around the quay is, in fact, due to Crones living in the area.”

“So we aren’t just dealing with confusion. Some of them have realized that the fates have lost control of them.”

“I’m probably going to regret asking,” Danny said, “by what do Crones do with children?”

“Oh yeah, definitely going to regret that.” Stiles muttered to himself gagging. He certainly was regretting his earlier decision to ask.

“Skin them.” Ryan said bluntly. Very, very bluntly. “They make flesh suits to disguise their appearance. Apparently, the skin of children has more stretch.”

Scott gagged, looking seconds away from puking all over himself. The only ones present in the room that looked unfazed were Ryan and Stiles’ family, having already known the answer.

“I tried to tell you that Fae are sort of iffy on the moral frontier.” Iggy said plainly.

“In this case, I would have to agree.” Ari said. “Crones do not need these skins to survive. They want to be beautiful. It’s pure vanity. I will reiterate that many of the issues are simply from lack of control over biological drives like feeding.”

“The sanguine kills are not malicious, for instance. They’ve never had to stop themselves before. They take too much, and go into feral overdrive before any other sanguine can stop them. Sanguine can only consume human plasma. That’s why we’re one of the few species of Fae that interact with humans regularly. Most have human lovers as their donors. In fact, most of the kills have been of those lovers. The sanguine that are involved are traumatized. Those victims that were not donors, well, no one will fess up to.” Val said softly.

“Speaking of, when was the last time you fed?” Ryan asked.

“A few days ago. Before Matt left for San Francisco.” He answered.

“You’ll need to feed tonight.” Ari said. “Once were done here. It’s hard enough for you to keep control we don’t meet you hungry too.”

“He’s right, not with everything happening right now.” Iggy said matter-of-factly. “Stiles is still learning parlor tricks and honestly, I’m not much use in a fight. Ari can’t work alone.”

Well, Stiles thought, that stung a little.

“I can probably get Stiles on more offensive spells. Nothing superhigh powered, but decently useful.” Ryan told them, “he also shows high capacity for defensive and Rune casting, which is weird and someone needs to explain that to me but, I wasn’t kidding when I said I should call Len. She knows a couple of Rune Masters too. He can pick things up fast and we can have him boasting a decent arsenal within a week.”

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed, “I can do it.”

“I’ve no doubt. The issue is that even with all of us at full capacity, we can’t fix what’s been broken and, if the fates could, I doubt they would’ve let it get this far. We have to face facts here, this very well may be permanent. We need solutions and a plan.” Ari said, his voice worried.

“They will learn to control themselves eventually.” Victoria Argent argued.

“That’s all well and good Mrs. Argent, but what would happen if the government abruptly crashed? Would people just control themselves? And even if they did, humans know how to make choices. Fae don’t. Humans might pull through, they’d form governments on their own just as they always have. Our kind will have much bigger issues.” Val said tersely.

“If we’re lucky, with enough help we could temporarily pull off something between martial law and full military lockdown but there are no guarantees. We can lose a lot of our kind to the draws of not having to be soldiers for once. We might have an army, but it’s equally likely that we will be alone.”

“Also, there are what 2-3000 Dola? There are over 2 billion Fae. Cursed breeds equal less than half that population and how many hunters are there?” Iggy asked.

“8 to 10 million.” Chris admitted.

“8 to 10 million. For about 800 million cursed. So, that’s what? A 10 to 1 ratio. Compared to a 700,000 to 1 ratio. And Fae are, as a general rule, a lot more dangerous. As of right now, they can’t really be killed, Mr. Argent, but you can sure bet they’ll keep on breeding.”

“Oh my God.” Scott whispered.

And yeah, Stiles was so far on that train right now.

He licked his lips. His mouth felt dry as a bone. “Can we even… Does any of this matter then? We’re screwed.”

“Maybe we are.” Ari replied, “at this point, I’m unwilling to call it though. At this point, Ryan? You’re done calling contacts. Get the info from the Gumiho and then start calling in your clan. We need to get our kind informed of the situation and preparing to act.”

Ryan nodded. “I agree. We know we have a problem poking a sleeping Dragon won’t help. Most of the Fae don’t notice much difference, we have to deal with the ones that do before we go informing the world that the rules we’ve had for millennia no longer apply.”

“Exactly. We need to take a step back.”

“We need to find out what’s happening to the fates. Is it on our side or theirs?”

“And how exactly do we go about that? Ours are sealed and their dropping like flies from others. Our family is totally on their own now and they’ve been getting calls left and right from panic stricken Dola world over.” Val said frustrated.

“We prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

“Geppetto.” Stiles muttered. “Scattered as I feel right now, I can tell he’s still in control. Earlier, when we were setting up to scry, I had been about to put down a candle in the wrong spot and couldn’t. Also, I’m pretty sure he was laughing at me while we were talking to Rhiannon.”

“Okay, that’s something at least. Couldn’t he go to the Council, get someone down here to figure out this mess?” Ryan asked.

“That’s… Easier said than done.” Ari said.

“What you mean?” She said warily.

“Whoever controls me, does it appear to be all that fate friendly.” Stiles explained.

“Ari thinks it might be Gemorin.”

“Seriously? How sure are you?” Ryan’s eyes were wide.

“Fairly. It doesn’t look like he tried to disguise himself in corporeal form. Honestly, he looks like the images that I’ve seen of him.”

“He may have had a haircut the past 250 years.” Iggy quipped.

“I thought you said he was on the first Council.” Stiles looked at his cousin.

“He was.” Ari assured.

Ryan interrupted, "then he ate them and became the second Council which I guess was more of a dictatorship.”

“Ate them?!” Scott whimpered. “Why is everyone eating everyone else today?”

“I thought he just took their power?” Stiles said.

“Fates are nothing but power, kid. Maybe ate is the wrong word. Absorbed?”

“Oh is that is so much better a mental image.” Jackson scoffed looking a bit green, and not because of scales.

“Anyways, he got bored after a while and pull together a third Council and then poof, gone.” Ryan crossed her legs with a flourish. “He pops up every few hundred to torment the current Council before flipping off to hibernate or whatever.” She rolled her eyes before biting her lip. “Never heard of them actually doing his job though, that’s new. Think he’s the one doing this?”

“Doubt it.” Iggy said with a shrug. “He seems sort of interested in the whole deal. Not in the’ look at my evil plan coming to fruition’ way, more in the’ well, that’s new and different let me poke it with a stick’ way.”

“He definitely knows something, and he’s not telling.” Ari agreed. “But yes, he seems to want to know as much, if not more, than we do. I would almost say concerned. –“

Stiles grimaced as his own fist slammed into the wall.

Here we go again.

“I couldn’t hear what about the master the world S.O.B.’s on the Council have made for themselves. I’m just here for the show.”

Stiles’ dad and the Argents stiffened strange voice coming out of Stiles’throat. Ryan looked intrigued, “You’re him then?” She asked. “Gemorin?”

“I believe you mean the Gemorin. It’s a title, dipshits.”

“Really? Huh.”

“Dipshits? Really? That’s what you’re going with? Even if it is true that they have to follow the speech patterns of the body they are using, surely Stiles has something with more oomph in that head of his.”

“Ryan.” Ari warned. “You are him, though. The Gemorin. I was correct in that assumption.”

“Yes. Congrats. Give yourself a pat on the back.” Stiles felt his eyes roll petulantly, “not like I was hiding it. Such intuitive leaps.” He snarked.

“You are angry. Because I accused you of caring for your fellow fates?”

Stiles give up struggling against the invader and sighed.

Sort of.

“I didn’t mean any offense.” Ari continued. “Even during your, um time in power, you always made sure the Fae were corralled by the rules. But, you should understand why Ryan would suspect your involvement.”

“The time of the second Council was the time of the most freedom for the Fae since before the Council of fates came to exist.” Ryan said. “You were an advocate against the rule of Council before it began.”

“There is a difference between believing that Fae should be allowed more control and wanting something like this.” He growled.

“And you’ve been known to wreak havoc among the fates when you’re bored.”

“Wreak havoc? Havoc?! So I changed a few paths and annoyed a few councilmembers. I would hardly call that havoc. Besides, look at what they managed by themselves. I can hardly be blamed for their stupidity.”

“What’s happening, you think it is a product of something the council did?”

“A culmination of all the problems they have always caused I should think. They are getting exactly what they deserve.”

“Are they?”

“Yes.” He hissed. He turned to the Argents. “You! Hunter – humans, do those who would abuse power deserve to have it?”

Ari responded before they could, “You see this is a product of their control over Fae.”

“Stolen power.”

“And what of the Fae, and human, lives that would be destroyed by this degradation of power?”

“They would not have these issues at the Council it never existed. If we had never chosen this route. We were greedy. Undeserving.”

“Because you are only Fae.”

“Yes.” He stressed. “Nothing more. We used our ability to force our way to the top. We are pure magicks, and thus we can manipulate magicks.”

“Something only Fae have.” Ari finished.

“That’s why you can’t control humans like you do the Fae.” Lydia said softly.

He nodded. “They, we, are losing our grip. We stretched ourselves too thinly. Tried to do too much, to control too much. If stopping you from making a choice that could harm you is like punching a small hole in a water bucket, controlling what you eat is a bullet hole and what you say… It’s like hitting it with a missile. We’ve run out of magicks. We’re dying. Myself as well, will come much more slowly.”

“How can that be true?” Stiles’dad asked. “You control even the immortality of Fae.”

“Nothing is immortal.” Ari said. “It isn’t that our kind have permission to kill, it’s that…”

“You just can.” The fate finishes with a dry chuckle. “Permission or not, you could destroy any Fae you pleased. Personally, I think you’re kind were made simply to cull the herd. Or maybe, as punishment for our kind’s mistake. The Council thought differently. They decided your appearance was tacit approval of their work by the powers.”

“Someone to do their dirty work.” Peter said with a smirk. “But, if they can’t kill Fae...”

“Got it in one. I knew I liked you for a reason. Fates are Fae.” He laughed. “They learned that the hardware when they poked one of you a bit too hard and lost six fates in one shot.”

“Force of will.” Val murmured.

“Yeah, that. You’re all like elastics, begin only pull you so far before you snap and some of you were more like metal rings, apply enough pressure and eventually you’ll bend but…”

“That takes more magicks than it’s worth.”

“And so, they turned to deterrence to keep you in line. Like Ari.”

“But their punishments only makes things worse, I’m even harder to manipulate now than I was before. And I’m only getting stronger.”

“As will all Dola out from under the thumb of the fates. And eventually, the rest of the Fae will follow.”

“Can the core be restored?” Ari asked.

“Of course. If they stop their idiocy and go back to the beginning again. It will take longer to replenish the energy than it took to lose it, however.”

“They’ll be powerless for a very long time.” Ryan added.

“Yes. Even I have a quarter of the power that I once did. The only reason I can manipulate this one is because he is open to it.”

Stiles was not open to it. He was not. And he seriously resented the implication.

He didn’t like being manipulated.

He strained against the Gemorin’s control. “Am not.” He managed before the other regained control. “Are too. I mean, in terms of magicks. He is more pure magic at his core than any other Fae I’ve ever seen. With enough training he could probably take a magickal form.”

“Like the fa – Dola.” Iggy said, but shook his head. “No, sorry that’s too confusing. The fates.”

“Yes. Without the risk of losing power. He’s like a sponge, he absorbs magicks, drains me the longer I remain.”

Whoa. He was doing what now?

“Can you not take the corporeal form?”

“I’m not sure I’d be able to shift back.” The fate admitted.

“So your corporeal form terrains less power.”

“It does, but I’m nearly useless in such a state.”

“How much you see you like that?” Peter asked bluntly.

“Admittedly little. I do not think I could even undo the seals I placed earlier.” He sighed, “but then I doubt they’d want me to. As long as the seal holds they can’t disappear.”

“Then I think would all prefer to have you in your corporeal form. We need Stiles as much as we need any information you provide.” Ari told him.

“God, that feels so weird.” Stiles gasped as the Gemorin stepped out of his body for the second time that day.

“Do we really have to call you the Gemorin?” Scott asked.

“I suppose not. My name is Taersin.”

“Tea – son?”

“No. Tae-ir-suen.”

“Tea –ir – swun.” Scott tried to mimic the man’s accent. He failed, dismally.

“Tae, just Tae.” The man grunted. “Like Taylor. Tae.”

“Sorry.” Scott mumbled.

“It’s not from any human language, Scott.” Ari explained. “I would be shocked if you could say it easily.” Scott smiled at him obviously feeling better about his trouble.

Personally, Stiles give the guy props for even trying.

“Is Taersin your actual name, then?” Peter questioned and of course he pronounces it perfectly without even hesitating.

“Yes. The name I have had since my spawning.”

Oh, ew..

Spawning.

Like fish.

On second thought, given that Dola were basically energy, birth is probably out of the question. “Wait, can you guys have sex?” Stiles hears himself say and feels immediate, bone – deep, regret. Shit. “Also, did you happen to burn up all remaining traces of Adderall and caffeine in my system? Just, out of curiosity.” Stiles twitched nervously.

“No, we do not. And yes, your metabolic rate quadruples while a fate is in direct control of you.”

“Fuck. Adderall now. Before I say something even more idiotic. Like hold on, even like this, because you look humanoid so I assume you have the bits so – oh my God! Give me that.” He grabs the red bull from Ryan’s hands and downs it along with the pills Ari handed over.

Two this time.

What the hell?!

“More than quadrupled.” Ari noted. “Probably because your weaker now than earlier. His brain is lagging behind the rest of his systems. He will be okay in a minute, the pills will hit him faster with him like this.”

His mind was already smoothing out. He took a deep breath. “Christ Almighty, would not recommend.”

“Apologies. I did not realize the power level would affect you that way.”

“Yeah. No problem. Just. Shit, that was unpleasant.”

“If you was absorbing your magicks, that likely made the situation more jarring. Even if you can shift back, I would stay out of Grzegorz for both of your safety.”

“Agreed.” Tae said. “I admit, I’m also feeling quite strange.” He wobbled on his feet, eyes rolling back in his head.

He started to fall.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit later than I wanted to be but now that I am back and classes are over I should be able to keep a steadier pace. I will be updating every Thursday for the foreseeable future as I have a bunch of stuff that I still need to type and I need to settle back into writing I am also editing up a fic that I had been posting elsewhere that I am hoping to begin re posting here by the end of the summer. Also, to those that have commented in the last couple of weeks, sorry for not responding I have had barely anytime to post let alone respond to comments. I will be responding to them by the end of the night should you care.

Isaac caught him before he hit the ground. Barely. He was definitely faster than any of the other wolves. Stiles hadn’t even seen him move.

“Lay him down, Isaac.” Ari said as he crouched beside the fate. Isaac settled him on the floor gently.

“Is he okay?” He asked.

Ari checked his pulse and pulled open his eyelids. Matt fell to the floor beside him pulling out a pen light and checking his pupils. “I think so. I think that his metabolic rate was as slowed as Grzegorz’s was amped up. He’ll be okay, just needs a few moments to – yes. See? Already stabilizing.”

The fate shuddered before his eyes flickered open again. “I’m on the floor.”

“You passed out.” Stiles’dad informed him.

“Really?” He sounded intrigued. “Interesting.”

“Whatever Grzegorz was doing to absorb your magicks seems to have had a force- release reaction on the two of you. Your pulse dropped and you were hardly breathing.” Ari told him as he checked him over. “How you feeling now?”

“Fine. A little wobbly but hey.” He turned to Stiles with the sharp grin. “You packed quite the punch, kid.”

“Thanks… I think?” Stiles said. “Was that a sorcerer thing?” He asked Ryan.

She shook her head. “No, not at all. We can’t tap into outside power. Well, we shouldn’t be able too. We are limited to our own natural stores. Power leaching is a warlock thing. Which you are not. You are sorcerer. We feel totally different. I don’t get that slimy, cold feeling around you. And,” she added. “You would feel weirdly hot around me. My touch would burn you.”

Stiles thought about the shocking it felt earlier when they joined hands, about the feeling of near stifling warmth that had been there until they had begun scrying.

“But you do.” He murmured. “You feel like a fever, and holding your hand stings when we weren’t performing magicks.”

She looked stunned. “That… That can’t be.” She stuttered. “You wouldn’t have been able to make flame or create a 3-D scrying image.”

“Actually,” Taersin said. “That explains a lot. A mixture of sorcerer and warlock genetics would explain the inherent volatility.”

“This is not Schrödinger’s box!” Shouted Ryan, “You can’t be nothing and something at the same time.”

“What does that mean?” Stiles questioned. Suddenly this new revelation seemed a lot more concerning.

Ari explained. “Sorcerers and warlocks are polar opposites. Think about magnets. A single magnet cannot positively and negatively charged the same time. If it is then it’s not a magnet anymore at all.”

“Sorcerers create, we take nothing and make something. Flames, barriers, instant coffee, whatever.” Ryan told him. “Warlocks destroy everything and make, well, nothingness.” She glared around wildly, “There is no way a warlock could learn sorcery. We have completely different abilities.”

“No, it shouldn’t be possible.” Taesin said. “I’m afraid he is as much an abomination as you are, Rajmund. A creator who destroys, a destroyer who creates. Both and so neither.”

“Wait.” Lydia interjected suddenly. “When Make you infinitely powerful?”

“What?” Ryan and Iggy said simultaneously turning to stare at her. Ari looked thoughtful.

Lydia continued, “Well, if sorcerers build magicks through the act of creation and warlocks through destruction would he become a self-powered battery? He creates and then destroys in an infinite loop.”

Ari nodded. “She’s not wrong. But Fae are not built to withstand infinite power.”

Shit, Stiles thought. That didn’t sound good.

“However, she’s not entirely correct. A self – powered battery –“

Lydia sighed suddenly, “can only charge what has been drained.”

“Exactly.”

“Leaving him a paradox.” Taesin smirked. “Simultaneously the most magickally stable and volatile mage in known existence.”

“Wait, hold on. Just for the sake of clarity,” Stiles interrupted, “I’m not going to explode, right?”

Ari laughed. Stiles was so glad he could be amusing right at this moment. Wonderful. “No, Grzegorz, you are not going to explode.”

“Right, well, just checking.” He said brushing aside his slight embarrassment.

It’d been a totally valid question.

Seriously.

“Also, mage?”

“Magicks user. Fae all have it but only Magus species , like sorcerers and warlocks, can manipulate it.” Ryan explained.

“So, fates are mages too?”

She looked taken aback by the question. “I – um.”

“We would be such at this stage of our evolution. We manipulate magicks so, yes, we are a magus species.” Taesin said.

“Oh, cool. Are there other kinds?” Scott questioned.

Ryan nodded faintly. “Yes. There are six – I mean, seven species that are considered Magus species. Illusiors, like Crones and Hags, Nymphiad, like nymphs and dryads, Faery, and Sirens. Fairies are sort of on the fringe of the category, they have some capabilities but it is minimal.” She looked to Taesin as if for confirmation.

“Well, I suppose there are eight now.” He offered, nodding toward Stiles. “He is new after all.”

“Is he really?” Papa Argent spoke up. Stiles and nearly forgotten that they were even there. Taesin looked at the hunter questioningly. “Just because we only hunt cursed breeds, doesn’t mean we don’t have information on the Fae-kin. We have not come across them in centuries but we passed the information down regardless. Including some,” he looked almost disgusted, “Fae lore.”

Iggy stared at him startled. “Wait, are you talking about the Witchking? That’s just a bedtime story. No Fae believes those past age 10.”

“Fairytales.” Victoria Argent murmured, “Like you are in human minds. No children believe those tales for very long either.”

“Okay, hold on. One thing at a time please.” Stiles was becoming exasperated. “Let’s just start here, the things that go bump can and do go bump in real life cell, let’s just go with the whole history becomes legend becomes myth becomes bedtime story/Disney movie hypothesis for the time being. What is a Witchking?”

“The Witchking is said to be the father of the Magus species. He gifted each of his children with just one of his many powers. To the Illusiors, glamour, the nymphiad, his elemental magicks, the Faery, his chaos, the Sirens, his void call, the sorcerers, his creation, and the warlocks, his destruction. Well, they had names not species but you get the picture.” Iggy told them.

Ryan picked up from the. “The children fought over who was there sires favorite. Who received the most powerful And who would take his place as Witchking. Eventually, it fell to war. Which caused a rift among their descendents even now.”

Stiles stared at her before glancing at Iggy. His cousin just nodded his agreement with the sorceress and offered no further details. Stiles was incredulous and he wasn’t the only one.

Ari stared at them disbelieving, “that’s all you have to say?”

“Like I said, bedtime story.” Iggy told him.

“You seem to be missing a few key components to the story.” Victoria said.

“I remember.” Allison said, looking a little dazed. “You used to tell me the story all the time when I was little.” She stared at her parents stunned.

“Perhaps you could fill in the blanks them, Miss. Argent” Taesin said.

“Um. Okay. Well, there was a competition to determine who the Witchking’s successor would be. They had to defeat the Witchking in battle. But none of the children succeeded. Kyleer, he’s the warlock, I suppose, came the closest by draining power from the others that he could not work their magicks the same way and therefore could not defeat their father. This happened three times with three different generations. No one could defeat him.” She looked at her mother who nodded for her to continue.

“The Witchking declared that he would not to secede the throne until a worthy successor was found. But after so long, the potential successors were becoming frustrated. The night before the fourth competition all the children gathered together to create a poison using each of their weaknesses in order to weaken the King.”

“It worked. And one of the competitors killed him. When he tried to take the Witchking’s sword however, the power overwhelmed him and left him stripped of all of his power. Seeing opportunity, many others tried but each were overwhelmed and stripped of their power just as the first had been. They spent hours trying to understand and find a way for someone to claim his throne. The Witchking’s spirit appeared before them and explained that they had failed in that no successor has been chosen. However, that did not mean that anyone could take the throne. He explained that they had failed to see the objective of the competition and because of this they would remain divided and all children born from their lines would be left with only a single power.”

“Power shall be earned.” Mr. Argent said, “In order to return to full strength they must earn each power back in turn and only one who achieves this may call themselves his successor, may call themselves Witchking.” He finished the tail.

“So, you’re saying that Grzegorz may be his successor. Or, at least have the potential to be.” Ari looked at the Argents interested.

“He’s obviously succeeded in obtaining a power other than his own. Whether that be sorcery or warlock magicks.”

“Diisenary,” Ryan corrected. “That’s what they call it. Don’t ask me why, I’m fairly certain they made up the word.”

“Okay. He earned either sorcery or diisenary.” He allowed, “I would assume that means he could earn the others.”

“Well, if, for the sake of argument, the Witchking is more than just a story he would’ve had to either destroy or create something without any power. What about it, Stiles? Killed anyone lately?” Iggy snapped. He was annoyed, Stiles wasn’t sure why and honestly he didn’t much care at the moment because Peter decided to speak up.

“Well, he certainly tried. Twice as a matter of fact.”

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so begins the time during which you should suspend any and all understanding of what the hell happened in canon. More specifically, assume that there was some stuff going down with Stiles that we did not get to see. Suspend your disbelief...Its not like we read fanfic for its similarity to canon anyways.
> 
> I had-have-a bit of a migraine so if you spot any errors, let me know. I'll go back over it once I am feeling better and fix any little errors.

Stiles flinched.

Hard.

Peter would.

Of course he would.

“In one night even.” Peter really needed that smug look wiped off his face. “Poison and fire, poisonous fire. I would say he was most certainly a sorcerer first. Those bottles were literally made of wolfsbane and mountain ash. I was reluctantly impressed. A man after my own heart, that the poison right into the hands of his very best friend. Oh, but he has a heart for vengeance.”

“Stiles, what is he talking about?” questioned Scott.

Oh, Scottie.

“I… I…”

What was he supposed to say?

Sorry?

My apologies for not warning you that every last bit of those Molotovs was made to be as lethal to werewolves as possible. We had bigger things to deal with and well, let’s be honest here, you’re pretty easy to manipulate… You trust me. Whoops.

Yeah, that would end well.

“Grzegorz, we need to know.” Ari murmured comfortingly. He brushed Stiles’ short hair gently.

Stiles sighed, he had known that his interference would not go unnoticed forever. “I was playing around with some mountain ash and wolfsbane that I had… Borrowed from Deaton’s office. I realized I could make it form shapes. Random stuff at first, squiggles, lopsided triangles, spheres, but then I got better.”

“You figured out how to make containers directly from the ash.” Ryan said, “Transmogrification is common in young sorcerers. Water into wine. Lima beans into candy corn.” Stiles looked at her little funny and she shrugged, “baby sister, long story. But regardless, it’s one of the things that comes most easily and naturally too young sorcerers.”

“A bottle made in that way would not be poisoned to the touch, though, even for were.” Deaton remarked. “Mountain ash is not inherently poisonous to the supernatural it simply provides a barrier against it.”

“I figured out a way to make the ground wolfsbane stay in the ash. I figured that until the bottle broke the ash would protect anyone attached from the wolfsbane.”

“That is of little use then, it would have to break and pierce the victim in order to do any damage.”

“Yes. At least that would be true if I was just planning to throw a bottle ata werewolf and hope for the best. I used them for Molotov cocktails, well Lydia and I did. It took practice but I figured out just the right proportion of wolfsbane to mountain ash that would allow the poison to temporarily become aerosolized.”

Scott looked a little betrayed by the revelation. Everyone else looked a little disturbed by the news as well.

Stiles tried to cover his ass, “Look. It was safe to the touch and honestly, it was a Molotov cocktail if Scott or anyone else and somehow managed to break it they would’ve caught fire anyways. Besides, it didn’t really work.”

“Oh, it did. Or it would have had my nephew not made the kill himself.” Peter said, “I was unable to heal at all, the wolfsbane was literally seared into my flesh by the flames. It was clever, but risky. There would be no coming back from that.”

“Would intent be enough?” Val asked. “It seems a little too easy.”

“Easy? I doubt it. To come so close to killing? On purpose? And then to regret not succeeding ? It absolutely could be enough as long as he had the potential to acquire more powers. Of course, that’s given that that’s actually what happened to cause this. Which it wasn’t. He already felt wrong when I relieved his former fate of his duty.” Taesin offered. “It seems more likely that his potential and, indeed, his success in attaining the power of a warlock in combination with his own as a sorcerer stems from his inherent volatility. His own _issues_ rather than any particular mutation.”

“Issues?! I don’t have issues, asshole!” Stiles barked. His whole body tensed.

“Oh, you sweet, naïve, little thing. You most certainly do. Don’t fret, you’re no Peter Hale on the wide scale of fucked-upedness but well, do you really think your kind of… Moral ambiguity… Stems from being a well-adjusted person? Your idea of right and wrong is more than a little skewed, my dear. Never fear, that is what will make you such a great left hand for your cousin after all. Someone needs to balance his distressingly prevalent hero complex.”

“I am not morally ambiguous! Guys,” Stiles turned to his friends desperate, “tell him that I am not morally ambiguous.”

No response.

Okay, that stung more than a little. Seriously?

“Scott, come on. Back me up here.” He refused to meet his eyes. “Dad?” Nothing. “I… I’m not.” He whined.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. He was only protecting them.

He wasn’t… he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Iggy laid a hand on his shoulder, “Stiles, come on. He’s being an ass about this. There is nothing wrong with thinking differently.”

“You – you agree with him.” He glared around the room, “you all agree with him.” He accused feeling betrayed.

“Stilinski,” Jackson rolled his eyes. “You broke my nose over a box of crayons in kindergarten.”

“And you tried to push Michael Torres down the stairs in the eighth grade when he took Lydia to the formal.” Scott said apologetically. “You were lucky I grabbed his backpack in time.”

Stiles looked at his dad for help. Only to receive another knife to the back instead, “Kiddo, I don’t even remember how many times you’ve done something stupid or cruel for attention. When you were six you shoved a pen nearly through your arm because Iggy had a broken leg and your grandmother was paying more attention to him than you.”

Stiles fingered the small circular scar on his left forearm. His father continued, “worse or better, I don’t even know, you have never hidden your motives for the shit that you do.”

Stiles could hear how ragged his breathing was getting. They thought he was psychotic. They actually saw him that way. He was furious. His family, his brother.

Jesus.

What about all the stupid shit he had done that had kept them all safe? Why was no one mentioning that?

Yeah, sure, he’d done some things for purely selfish reasons but he was dedicated to making sure his people made it to another day. And honestly right now he was questioning why he even tried if this was how they saw him.

He clenched his fists. He could feel a short nails biting into his skin. His palms felt slick.

Blood, not sweat.

He kept his gaze focused on the ground.

One drop. Two.

He hoped to God no one tried to touch him.

He hoped they did.

That was wrong. He knew it was. He should never want to hurt his friends, his family, even if they had no qualms about doing so to him. He would never. Could never.

But God he wanted to.

Wanted to lash out, to feel someone’s bones crunch under his hand. He wondered if his shiny new Fae powers could hurt a were.

He burned.

The blood froze in his veins.

Three drops. Four.

“Stiles.” Scott whined.

Yeah, he could definitely smell how pissed Stiles was. Stiles knew that look. The ’ Stiles, you’re being weird, and I don’t like you this way’ look that he officially seen way too many times in his life.

He had a feeling he would be seeing it lot more.

Normally, this would calm him down. Normally, he could just take a deep breath, ruffle Scott’s hair with a grin and say ‘ sorry, buddy’. This time though, this time his anger only intensified. His vision blurred.

Huh, who knew?

Blind with rage? Totally an actual thing.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it been a hell of a week for me but it is what it is. And here is your new chapter! Hope you all enjoy it.

Stiles stared at his hand, blank. His knuckles would bruise, he thought vaguely, taking a bit of fluffy pink insulation off the cuts, or maybe they wouldn’t. He could almost feel himself healing. Did the weres feel that tingle and burn?

He took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders and shook his hand. It sort of stung but less than it should considering the impressive hole the living room wall.

Wow.

Right through a stud.

Maybe that could be fixed with sorcery, he’d have to ask Ryan.

He turned away from the wall to face the others only to find them cowering behind a glowing silver shield that Ryan was emitting halfway across the room.

Really?

At least he punched the wall and not one of them. He had a feeling even a werewolf would’ve felt that.

No one said a word. Chris Argent stood in front of his wife and daughter protectively, gun out and leveled at Stiles’ head. Jackson had pushed Danny and Lydia behind him and was looking decidedly greener than his normal pallor. Even Derek had been pushed behind his betas, though his eyes glinted red.

Ryan looked exhausted as the shield she was holding flickered a few times weakly before collapsing. She followed suit. Iggy barely caught her before she hit the ground.

The low rumble of threatened Wolf filled the air. The barrier had blocked sound as well then. They stared at him. He stared back.

The living room was minus one couch, a side table, and there was now an unplanned pass-through to the kitchen.

He had always wanted a breakfast bar.

He sighed, whoops. So, not the punching that was the issue.

None of the others had relaxed.

He should apologize.

He spoke, “I’ll pay for that.”

Not exactly what he was going for but true nonetheless.

He wasn’t actually sorry, he realized. He should be but he wasn’t. He did cringe a bit when he noticed half of Peter’s MacBook had simply vanished. That would cost a pretty penny. He doubted he could fix that one with sorcery, what with the whole magicks and technology issue.

“Was that supposed to prove me wrong?” Taesin said from his position behind the wolves. “It didn’t work.”

No, he supposed not. But he felt better.

What did that say about him?

What did that say about him? He had just destroyed his house and terrified his friends and he couldn’t feel bad about it. Sure, if you’d hurt them he would be sorry, he was sure of that, but he didn’t so he wasn’t. Which, he sighed, proved their point.

He did bad things because he felt he needed to at the time.

Punching a wall was the right thing to do. He could’ve punched one of them, but he didn’t. Scott would say that he shouldn’t have done either, that he could’ve just yelled at them if he was angry or, better, calmly explained why he felt angry. Sometimes he did that, more for Scott’s sake than his own. just now punching was right and yelling was wrong.

Morally ambiguous.

At least it was better than morally bankrupt.

Right is right and wrong is wrong, except for those times were right is wrong and wrong is right.

A motto to live by.

Oh, God.

He _was_ Peter Hale. When had that happened?

He didn’t acknowledge Taesin’s comment, just bent down and scooped up a pile of Ari’s books which it fallen, unharmed, to the floor when Stiles had made the table disappear. Obviously he had his priorities straight, he thought as he dusted off the cover of a leather bound book that he was fairly certain would’ve cost him a whole lot more than Peter’s computer was going to.

Peter sighed and pulled a second laptop out of his leather satchel.

Seriously?

Stiles got having more than one laptop, but to carry two with him? That was just ridiculous.

The older man took the bag slightly digging for something and Stiles noticed something inside –

“Four?!” He squawked, “You carry around four laptops?”

“Problem?” Peter asked eyebrow raised.

“Are they all Macs?” He couldn’t help but ask. Unlike his nephew the man screamed well off.

“No, I’m afraid this is my last Mac. I would ask that you avoid disintegrating half of this one. I would prefer not to break out the custom builds.” He glanced around, “I suppose I should feel insulted that mine was the only one destroyed.”

Stiles glanced around and noticed that all of the other laptops were perfectly intact. He winced, “I’ll pay for it.”

Peter shook it off, “Forget it. I suppose it is par for the course given what happened earlier.”

Stiles sighed.

Right, Peter had been injured by his powers earlier as well.

Wait.

Stiles jerked and stumbled over to him grabbing at his arm which, he realized with a sickening feeling, had just been near the vanished half of his laptop.

“Are you okay? I didn’t get you this time did I?” He flinched noticing the missing portion of the man’s sleeve. “Shit!”

“No flesh damage.” Peter assured him, “Inorganic and dead materials only it appears.” He smirked, “I suppose I should be thankful that I’m not the zombie you like to claim I am.”

“Fuck.”

Stiles whimpered. He could’ve killed Peter… Again.

“You!” He snapped, “You need to stay out of my bubble, this is getting to be a problem.”

The tension in the room finally broke. Argent lowered his gun, though he kept it out, looking wary. The betas allowed Derek to push through their ranks but clustered tightly around him.

“Wait a minute, why aren’t you over there?” Stiles parked at Peter.

The man shrugged with an infuriating smirk. Ryan rolled over and, with Iggy’s help, pulled herself into a seated position. “Holy hell, kid.” She grimaced and touched her rib cage gingerly, “fuck. Ow.”

Matt knelt beside her and checked her over. She continued to talk through the exam, “Asshole refused to move.” She glared at Peter. “He actually tried to stop you from hitting the wall. He’s lucky that you had enough control not to hurt him.”

Stiles whirled around to glare at him. “Are you crazy? What were you thinking?!”

“It has been mentioned that neither of us is entirely sane.” He quipped. “I believe that is what got us to this point in the first place.”

“Actually, we said he has a loose moral structure.” Ari said. “You are a sociopath, there is a difference.”

“Less than he would care to think.” Peter grinned.

Stiles flinched.

Derek frowned. “No, he’s not.”

“What?” Iggy asked.

“My uncle is not a sociopath.”

“Sorry, Der-bear. Textbook case right there.”

“No, he’s not. He’s –“

“shut up.” Peter growled fiercely.

“But…”

“Shut your mouth or I will shut it for you.”

A tense moment, filled with equally intense silent eyebrow communication, past before Derek looked away and muttered, “whatever.”

It took Stiles a minute before he realized that whatever they were talking about like we had to deal with the fact that Peter had been under his sister’s, and then later his niece’s, legal guardianship despite the fact that he was of age.

He decided to butt in when he noticed that Iggy was ready to argue. “So, I just blew everything up. Explanations?” He said, probably a little louder than strictly necessary.

He was not going to think about the subtly thankful look Peter had shot him.

He was not.

Just, no.

“Technically you didn’t.” Ryan said.

“Cracked ribs, a few of them. Shouldn’t take more than another minute to heal. Hold still.” Matt said as he helped her sit as straight as possible to avoid stress on the healing bone structure.

She nodded, “Thanks. I figured, but,” she shrugged, “better safe than sorry.”

“If only there were more like you.” He joked.

“The world couldn’t handle more than one of me.” She grinned and stretched slightly. “I think we’re good.”

Matt touched the afflicted area and nodded, “just be cautious for a little while.”

"Sir, yes Sir.” She chuckled. She looked at Stiles, “Sorry, kiddo, where was I?”

“I didn’t blow everything up.”

“Right. You dematerialized it. Poof. Gone. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Stiles glared at her, “Could you not with the funeral rites? I came this close to blowing up –“

“Dematerializing.”

“Whatever! Dematerializing Peter.”

“Sorry, bad joke.”

“Yes.” Peter muttered, “It was.”

Her smile softened, “Honestly, Stiles, if anyone else and try to stop you you likely would have killed them. He was about the only one you weren’t directly angry with. In fact, I got the distinct impression that you are more angry for him than at him, which is curious because I got the distinct impression that you sort of hate him.”

“I do.” “Mutual.” Peter and Stiles glared at each other.

She laughed. “Cute.”

“They are too similar.” Derek said quietly. “He acted the same way with my younger brother. Gideon was similar to Peter in many ways. Stiles sort of reminds me of him.” He frowned and looked away.

Oh.

Shit.

That explains a lot about the way Derek acted around him at times.

A lot.

Christ.

“I…uh…” Stiles stuttered unsure of what to say.

Peter was frowning at him. “I hadn’t noticed.” He murmured, “I suppose there’s some mild similarity. This one has a bit less ’ make the world a better place’ in him, though. More survival instinct. The difference between a human and a Fae, I suppose.”

Stiles cringed. What the hell was wrong with Peter?

He was startled from Derek laughed. “Guess so. I questioned survival instinct thing though.”

“I don’t.” Peter snapped. “This one hasn’t gotten himself killed because he wanted to play the hero. He is smarter than that.”

They fell into a tense silence.

There was something off about the way they were talking about this Gideon. Stiles sort of wanted to ask, but thought better of it.

He would ask Peter later somehow.

He would not- Not- Ask Derek.

He wasn’t that stupid.

He was glad to see that everyone else seemed to be on the same page.

“Anyways,” Ryan said softly, breaking the silence. “Back to Stiles’… Um… issue.”

“Blowout.” Ari said. “Wasn’t it? He nearly had one earlier, as well.”

“No. This was concentrated, focused. He meant to do it. He had no idea what he was doing,” she looked at him pointedly. Stiles looked down and away, chagrined. “But he was trying to do something.”

Stiles could feel the stares of his family and friends in down on him, searing his skin. He flushed, embarrassed, and refuse to look up. He did not want to see Scott’s, and likely, Isaac’s sad puppy eyes.

Honestly, he was still pissed about the lack of trust in him. The last thing he wanted was to end up feeling guilty because Scott he was caring at him like a kicked dog.

He was still mad.

He would not relent.

He refused…

Dammit, he had looked.

He sighed heavily, “Scott,” he whined, “stop that. Do not look at me like that.”

“I didn’t mean to make you so mad, Stiles.” Scott whispered. “I don’t really think it’s bad, per se. I mean, it’s just…”

“You.” Danny interjected, taking pity on Scott looked outrageously relieved. “It’s just who you are, always have been, always will be.” He shrugged, “It’s probably a big part of the reason that most people at school steer far and clear of you and yours. You freak people out. Hell, you freaked Jax out bad in the seventh grade, hence the whole avoid Stilinski like the plague thing.”

Stiles frowned, “Our definitions of avoid are obviously conflicting.”

Danny laughed and Jackson refused to look anyone in the eye. “You are a little on the persistent side, in case you haven’t noticed. And, I think your persistence in pursuing my friendship while accepting his ignorance of you annoyed him. I think we can call it a form of Platonic pigtail pulling.”

“Aw, Jackie boy was jealous that Stiles liked Danny better.” Erica crowed happily.

Jackson glared at her, “You followed him around like a puppy for years. Do not think that having a new boyfriend erases the horrifically obvious pining we all witnessed.” He growled making her scowl.

“I grew out of it.” She sneered. “Apparently, you did not. Don’t think I don’t see how jittery you get when Stiles and Danny talk to each other. One day I imagine will find Danny wringing out his pants leg from where you pissed on him to mark your territory.”

Jackson hits. It was decidedly more serpentine than any of them wanted to deal with at the moment. Danny tugged them back by the shirt. “Jackson, no.”

Stiles snorted. All Danny needed was a spray bottle and a rolled up magazine. Erica would probably lend him a copy from one of her piles, it would be great.

Jackson snarled at him, “Fuck you, Stilinski.”

“Sorry, not my type.”

Iggy snickered, “Dude, that is a damn dirty lie and you know it. I’ve watched movies with you. Pretty boy muscles are exactly your type.”

"Shove it, Ignacek. No one asked you.” Stiles heads.

Too late.

Jackson grinned sharply, “Oh, that’s rich. Lusting after me and my girlfriend? Were you hoping for a threesome, Stiles?”

“Screw you, asshole. Any attraction I had to you lasted about .2 seconds.-I have been horny for a fucking bath towel longer.”

“That’s enough!” Ari snapped. “Grzegorz, Jackson, we’re done with this conversation. You are making everyone uncomfortable.”

“I don’t know, I find this sort of amusing.” Iggy offered earning the glare from his brother, “sorry. Right, uncomfortable.”

Jackson looked ready to interject. Lydia smacked him across the back of the head, “keep it shut.” She snarled at him, angrily. “Too far, Jackson.”

Jackson frowned and he turned his face away to glare at the wall. The room fell silent except for someone’s heavy breathing.

It took his dad’s arm wrapping around him for Stiles to realize that the sounds coming from him. He stiffened and tried to regulate his breathing.

He closed his eyes and focused, trying to match his breath up to a nearby set that he could just barely hear.

Inhale. Exhale.

Inhale. Exhale.

Stiles wasn’t sure how long he stood there in silence. Minutes? Hours?

Unlikely.

His breathing pattern finally synced to the one he’d been focused on.

It wasn't his dad, he realized. He was pressed against his father’s chest. Could feel the slightly rapid and offbeat motions of the older man’s breathing.

It took him a moment, his mind cycling through all the possibilities, before he identified the slight hitch and hiss in the pattern.

Peter.

“I think,” the man spoke, altering his breathing pattern ever so slightly and confirming Stiles’ suspicions, “we all need to calm down before we resume this conversation.”

Stiles felt his father nod. His chin brushing against Stiles’ short hair. “I think that’s a good idea. 20 minute recess?”

Shaking out of his stupor, Stiles pushed out of his father’s embrace. “Right. Sure.” He growls, still feeling out of sorts.

Annoyed.

Frustrated.

Like he wanted to punch something again. Possibly something loadbearing this time.

He ignored everyone’s concerned looks and headed for the stairs. Scott moved to follow him, touching his arm gently. Stiles shook him off.

He really wasn’t in the mood.

 


	9. Chapter 9

This sucked.

Stiles, for the first time since the start of this whole mess, felt like the quintessential angry, petulant teenager he was supposed to be.

It was…freeing, if he was being honest with himself.

He reiterated it to himself, a little more gleefully than he thought was normal.

This sucked.

Life sucked.

People sucked.

Everything. Fucking. Sucked.

Ah, Cathartic.

He hadn’t even bothered to go to the bed, had just flopped face first onto the floor like a child preparing one hell of a temper tantrum.

Except, mostly? He was rubbing his cheek against the rug the way that he always had when he was upset, half-cuddling and half hoping that rug burn would bring him back to reality.

He stared blankly at one of the spelled candles sitting just beside him. The flame flickered brightly, normally despite the fact that it was laying on its side where Stiles had taken it out on his way down. It was fascinating to watch, really. The wax didn’t drip. The flames touched but did not burn the book that it had fallen next to. Stiles sucked the small burn on his thumb from where he learned the hard way that stasis spell or not, flames were freaking hot to the touch. He thought it was an interesting exception to the spell, won’t burn down your house but yeah, it’s going to hurt.

Whatever.

He wondered absently if he could make them disappear. The Flames, the Candles, whichever. Maybe both. He reached out and touched the bottom of the wax pillar, concentrating.

He sighed, nothing.

“Were you expecting to be able to call on your powers willfully without training?” Peter’s voice came from behind him. Of course he was the one to totally ignore the ‘back off’ vibes he had been shooting around downstairs. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“You know a lot about magicks, do you?” Stiles sassed without much enthusiasm. “Also, who invited you to come in here?”

“Well, I’m not one of the vampires from Buffy so I really don’t require anyone’s permission.”

“Weren’t you Pre-law? Fourth amendment ring any bells?”

“You left the door open. You made no effort to pursue privacy therefore it doesn’t apply because I am here legally.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. Well, one of them. The other one was pressed into the rug and he didn’t feel like moving right now. “Whatever. What do you want?”

“Why do you assume I want something? Perhaps I am simply concerned for your wellbeing.”

Stiles snorted hard enough that his nasal passage ached. “I’m so sure.”

“Perhaps I am simply enjoying watching you throw hissy fits like a child. It amuses me.” He admitted as he sat on the bed elegantly. “I suppose I should be insulted by how badly you seem to be taking the implication that we have anything in common with each other.”

“You’re not though.” Stiles said with a sigh as he sat up and stared at the wolf. “Which I would find strange if not for the fact that you are borderline psychotic but still sane enough to recognize that you are batshit.”

“I am a man of many hats.” Peter quipped. “Also, I recognize the fact that you are more upset that your friends are comparing you to a man they claim to hate than with the fact that you are being compared to me.”

“How do you figure?” Stiles scoffed. “I tried to blow you up twice today.”

“And succeeded once before, I remember.”

Right, the molotav’s. When exactly had it started to slip his mind that they had killed Peter not that long ago?

“Besides,” Peter continued, “You didn’t.”

“But I could have.”

“But you didn’t.”

“But—“

Peter raised an eyebrow at him, “Are we really going to have an ‘are not, are too’ fight? Have your newfound powers de-aged you as well?”

Stiles pouted, “Shut up.”

Peter rolled his eyes at him.

Stiles sighed and leaned back again to stare at his ceiling. “Seriously, Zombiewolf, what do you want? I kind of wanted to not deal with people for a while.”

“Well, as you so often point out, I am not a people, I am the Evil Undead.”

Stiles laughed a little.

He was feeling better, he realized. Less pissed at the world. Less likely to destroy the remaining pieces of living room when he went downstairs.

“You wish that you didn’t agree with them.” Peter remarked quietly. He had moved to stare out of Stiles’ window. When had the sun gone down? “You wish that you had an argument to counter the facts.”

Stiles didn’t answer. He didn’t really have to.

Peter continued, “You wish that you could say that you are nothing like me and have it not be the most pathetic lie you have ever attempted to tell.”

“You haven’t heard some of my previous attempts at lying.” Stiles joked weakly.

“So you admit that it is a lie.”

“Fine.” Stiles had attempted to count every divot and peak in the popcorn ceiling of his room when he had had bronchitis two years ago. He had made it halfway before he gave up. He wondered how far he would make it today.

“At least you know when the pretending needs to stop.” Peter laughed.

“Only because—“ Stiles cut himself off before he could finish the sentence but it hung in the air around them palpably.

Because it’s you.

Because you get it.

Because you’ve been through this feeling.

“I suppose, it is discomfiting to have the accusation of loose morals thrust at you by the people you love and trust.”

You would know.

“It is worse though, to feel constrained by the morality of others. For people like us it is... like trying to fill a colander with water. We are not the righteous ones. Not meant to be. A fool’s errand in the end.”

“Yeah, well.”

“You disagree?”

“Life isn’t that easy, is it? I can’t be both. Always going to disappoint someone, I’d rather it be myself.”

Peter’s eyes flashed blue, “And you are okay with that? Pretending to be what you are not for the sake of your little friends, even knowing how badly you have failed?”

“I don’t have much choice!” Stiles snapped. He realized that he had stood and that he and Peter were circling each other like dogs. “Not all of us can claim the insanity defense.”

“The ways in which we are alike have nothing to do with my mental soundness.” Peter growled lowly, “And you know it. This is who I have always been, child, and who I will always be. Perhaps it's time for you to grow up and admit that if this is the reason you would call me crazy then we both belong locked up in padded cells.”

Stiles glared at him, “I’m not you.”

“I should hope not.” Peter snapped, “I know who I am, I have embraced it. I have learned to use it to my advantage.”

Suddenly Stiles found himself pinned against his wall claws dangerously close to his jugular. “Until you stop treating your nature like a death blow, you are weak, pathetic.” Peter spat through his fangs, “No amount of parlor tricks can make men like us into men like them,” He gestured toward the door. Stiles knew exactly who he was referring to and he was less than pleased with the reminder that no matter how hard he tried he would never be like his father, like Scott, or Derek, or Ari.

For him, and for Peter, there was no greater good than the protection of the pack at any and all cost.

There wasn’t a heroic bone in either of their bodies.

There were plenty of selfish ones though, and cruel, vindictive, sadistic, and territorial ones.

He would, if he had to, step in front of a bullet for any of the people in this house but he would much rather shove the gun deep into the mouth of the one pulling the trigger. Selfless was not him. He always had a reason.

He was never going to be the popular kid, as much as he liked to joke about it. He imagined that Peter was the same way, people knew them, knew of them, feared and respected them. Jackson was the only person that got away with bullying Stiles and Stiles would admit that that was because they had always been friends, even when they were enemies Jackson was one of his.

Peter released him and turned away forcing away the wolfish façade, “I’ll be waiting. Once you are tired of being a fool come see me.” He left closing the door behind him.

Stiles stared after him, measuring. He caught sight of his alarm clock and realized that his time was up. He ran a hand roughly over his face and glanced in the mirror checking to make sure that he didn’t look like someone who had just fought with a werewolf.

***

Stiles avoided the living room completely. He could see the pack had decided to stay there and were talking quietly to each other, likely about him. He could see that Ryan must have patched up the wall with magicks because it looked good as new. The ruined furniture however was pushed to one side of the room and the pack was mostly sprawled across the floor in various groupings. Stiles thought that Danny had probably spotted him but was thankful that he didn’t seem to say anything to the rest.

Stiles walked down the hall and entered the kitchen through the back corridor by the door to their yard. His father, the Argent seniors, Deaton, and his cousins were gathered in the room. Stiles probably should have guessed that since they hadn’t been in the living room. He thought about back tracking, how badly did he really need water? But wasn’t given the chance.

“Feeling better?” Deaton asked.

Stiles refrained from glaring, Deaton was an adult, glaring at an adult was frowned upon unless the adult in question was Peter Hale who was more bastard than adult which excused the issue. He didn’t answer however, he simply walked into the room and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet behind Iggy and turned to the fridge to fill his glass with water.

He sipped the drink, casting a glance around the room. Ryan wasn’t there.

“She is calling her sister.” Ari said without prompting.

Apparently, he could read minds.

The room went silent again. Allison’s dad was the first to break it, “This is foolish. He isn’t a child and there are more important things for us to be doing instead of skirting around him in fear of a further mishap. He is going to need to learn to control his temper.”

Stiles’ dad frowned at the other man, “He’s sixteen, he is a kid.”

“Hardly, the boy runs with wolves, he has not been a child since his friend was turned and he chose to stay”

“You treat your own daughter as if she is a child, why is my son any different? Because he isn’t human?”

Victoria laughed a little meanly, “That is a non-issue. I should think that everything that has come to light in the past hour would provide sufficient evidence to his…maturity.”

“Maturity? You think a temper tantrum that disintegrates furniture is mature?” Stile’s dad snapped annoyed.

“I think that a child would not look at a new magic trick and think ‘oh, this would make a great lethal weapon’.” Chris snapped right back. “Treating him like one will only make him more dangerous.”

“My son is not dangerous.”

“You are a fool to think that, sheriff.” Victoria said. “And the only person in this room.”

Stiles didn’t have to look around to know that it was the truth.

“Even he knows it.” She said, “He is dangerous and should be treated as such.”

“He’s sixteen.”

“And that makes him somehow less capable? I doubt he appreciates your underestimation.”

“He just needs training.”

“He does, and more than I think your compatriots could ever offer.”

“Somehow I doubt that you know anyone that could help him learn how to use his powers.” Iggy said. “We are getting him help.”

“But it isn’t his powers that make him dangerous, is it?”

“Excuse me?”

“It is who he is that makes him dangerous, not a Fae, a Dola, a Witchking, take all that away and he would be just as lethal.”

“You pretend to understand that but you deny what it means.” Chris turned to Deaton, “You have known the Hales all of their lives, you know exactly what I am saying.”

Deaton looked away before speaking, “I’m sorry but they are not incorrect.” He apologized to Stiles’ father, “This home is full of lethal weapons tonight but strip away their power and very few of them would ever be called a threat and each of them for the same reasons.”

Stiles’ dad growled low in his throat but was interrupted before he could speak. “It is frightening to hear but the truth.” Ryan said as she joined them. “I can teach him all the tricks, can find someone to teach him to be a warlock but no amount of teaching will ever change his reasons for using them. If he didn’t have magicks he would find another weapon to use, or perhaps the truth of the matter is that he wouldn’t need one at all. The reason that he is dangerous is that he is willing to be dangerous.” She looked at his dad intensely, “You are a cop, if a man like Stiles or yes, Peter Hale, sat in interrogation would you believe them capable of committing a crime?”

Yes.

His dad didn’t have to answer out loud for the entire room to know the answer and Stiles realized that that didn’t make him angry either. It was the truth. As much as he hated to admit it Stiles would not hesitated to do something wrong to get the results that he wants. He had done so more times than he could count without any regret.

Of course, he kept getting caught because he couldn’t lie worth a shit but any remorse he would show for the actions was all for show. He was supposed to feel bad, so he pretended that he did.

Stiles needed to speak. He was so glad that his father was trying to stick up for him but his conversation with peter had left him in a place where he had to stop pretending that his anger had stemmed from accusations rather than lack of appreciation. “Dad.” He said softly stopping him from speaking and then a little louder, “Dad. I don’t need you fighting my battles for me anymore, I’m not a kid, they are totally right. I can answer that myself, because if I were you I would lock me up and throw away the key because I can almost guarantee that I did it and that I wouldn’t be sorry.” His dad frowned at him but he continued, “Granted, there will always be a reason behind it but honestly, my rules about what does and does not call for wrongful actions is warped beyond compare.”

Ari started to speak but Stiles’ held up a hand, “No, stop. I want to finish the conversation and then I want this to be done. In fact…” He headed for the living room gesturing for the adults to follow him. They did. “I only want to say this once and then I am done.” He looked around at all of them before speaking, “I am not a good person.”

“Stiles.” Scott said sounding sad, “That’s not true.”

“Yes it is, Scott. Now, shut up and let me speak. I am not a good person. The reason I don’t get along with Peter is, more than likely, the fact that our brains run on the same wavelength and I hate the idea that people I care about could ever see me the same way that they see him. The fact is that given the same circumstances I would have done the same thing as him and honestly, I’m probably worse because I doubt I could even pretend to regret any of it. Guess what, I get it. I am 110% on his side about everything that he did, with the exception of Laura’s death which he is just as genuinely regretful about.  In fact, there were more than a few instances that he showed a significant amount more mercy than I ever would have considered and that is just who I am. Now, with each and every one of you as my witness I am going to make one promise, I am done pretending to be something I am not. With everything that is happening pretty lies mean jack shit and I am done trying to make others comfortable. I will do anything and everything in my power to make sure that nothing gets in the way of my goals, hurts my pack, or makes my life anything less than the cushy ease with which I am most pleased. If this makes you uncomfortable, suck it up because you are already mine and that will not change unless you become a personal threat to my territory.” He glared at Derek who was staring at him with more than a little surprise, “And yes, Alpha, this is my fucking territory, not yours.”

“My family has been in Beacon Hills a lot longer than you have.” Derek growled.

“Do I look like I fucking care?” Stiles snarled. “Believe me when I say this, Hale, if I wanted you gone, powers or not, you would not be here. This is my town.”

“Stiles you need to calm down.” Ryan said. “No one is going to try and take your territory.”

He seethed, “Damn right they are not. I’d tear them apart.”

Jackson scoffed but Danny lamped his hand over his best friend’s mouth. Smart boy.

“I think we were wrong.” Ryan said softly to Ari.

“What?”

“He was a Warlock first. This, this is definitely Warlock behavior.”

“What are you talking about?” Val said.

“There is a reason why warlocks are so rarely seen even by other Fae. They are extremely territorial, dangerously so. Stiles is exhibiting territory threat behavior. He has to have connected with something in the area and something is encroaching on his territory.” She said worriedly.

Stiles whirled on her, “What are you talking about?” He snarled.

He was furious, he felt like he was going to shake right out of his skin. He wasn’t sure what was going on. He had been okay a few minutes ago but it was like he suddenly wanted to rip something apart.

“Someone is on your land.” She said. “You are not actually angry at anyone here, at least not as angry as you are appearing,  you are feeling an outside threat and reacting. Someone is doing something that you consider a threat to your territory.”

Stiles stared at her. “How the hell would I know that?”

“Are there particular places that you feel…attached to…in town I mean?”

“Excuse me?”

“Think, where is the threat, Stiles?”

“I don’t—“

“Think!”

“Hale House.” He snapped back. His eyes snapped open wide, “Someone is at the house!”

Derek snarled and shot up making for the door.  Stiles beat him there by a second and slammed it open nearly taking out Peter who was standing in front of it.

“What is going on?” He asked even as he followed Stiles to the jeep.

“Someone is at the house.” Stiles snapped at him, “Go with Derek.”

Peter nodded and took off after his nephew toward the woods. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this one!

“We missed them.” Derek snarled at him as Stiles jumped out of the jeep. “But it was the Alpha pack.”

He indicated the still burning sigil in on the ground in front of the house. Peter was crouched in front of a portion that he had tamped out with what was probably the remains of his shirt, destroyed while shifting.

“Fuck.” Stiles snarled kicking at his tire.

“It’s Mountain Ash.” Peter called over his shoulder. “The fire makes it inert but that is definitely what it was.”

Stiles moved over to him and looked at the ash himself, He yanked Peter back before he could touch it. “No. There is wolf’s bane in it.” He snapped and Peter jerked back.

He scrambled back to where Derek was standing. “Stay away.” He shouted at the other wolves as they emerged from the woods. “Up wind.” He pulled Derek away from the fire and toward the house.

Derek didn’t protest.

“What’s going on?” Scott asked as he ran over, “What is Stiles doing?”

“Its mountain ash and Wolf’s bane.” Peter snapped. “The fumes are poisonous to us.”

Derek seemed to snap out of his shock and turned to his uncle, “Are you alright?”

“Fine, I only got a couple of wiffs. Shouldn’t cause much damage, my senses might be off for a while though.” Derek looked skeptical but nodded and turned back to watch Stiles.

Stiles glanced up to make sure all of the wolves were away from the fumes before closing his eyes and prayed that he could make it work.

“Whoa!” Isaac shouted. “They turned green!”

Good. Stasis spell worked then, now how to get rid of it. It was dust, would poison the ground for years this way. He had to get rid of it.

He felt a tingle go up his arm and opened his eyes just in time to watch the entire burning mess simply vanish without a trace. He felt lightheaded. He fell forward barely catching himself with his arms before he toppled to the ground. He felt arms lift him from under his own and stumbled forward toward where the wolves were standing shell shocked.

Derek, he recognized. The presence of Alpha behind him screamed at him. Suddenly he was leaning carefully against the outer wall of the house.

“Stiles?” Derek’s voice questioned, “Stiles, come on. Open your eyes.”

Stiles obeyed, allowing his eyes to flutter open gently. He met Derek’s whose gaze sharpened, “What?” He muttered softly, “I fixed it.”

“If anything here needs fixing it’s you.” Derek snapped.

“Is that a dog joke?” Stiles slurred, “So, you can make them but I can’t? How’sat fair?”

“What? No, that isn’t a dog joke. It was a ‘you are a fucking nut job who needs to be committed’ statement.”

“Sassy Derek is sassy.” Stiles grinned. He paused, distracted, “You have really pretty eyes, how come I never noticed that? They are all sparkly and shiny and I like them.” Stiles reached his hands toward Derek’s face starting the older man enough to catch him and full his head forward so he could see his eyes better.

Derek pulled back and stared at him, incredulous. “Are you…Are you high?”

“What?” Stiles giggled to himself when his voice cracked a little.

“You are.” Derek said bluntly. He looked up here, at Peter with a grimace, “He’s actually high.” He complained.

“Am I? Cool.”

Peter shrugged, “Better him high than us dead I would say.”

“What did he inhale?” Ryan’s voice came from above him somewhere. Stiles craned his head around searching for her and accidently smacked his head on the wall he was leaning against. “Over here, cutie. Look at me.” She was laughing at him. Meanie.

“Mountain ash and wolfsbane.” Peter said matter-of-factly as Ryan turned Stiles head and stared into his eyes.

“Follow my finger, baby.” She smiled at him and he tried to do as he was told. It was harder than it looked. “That’s enough, upsy-daisy.” She helped him to his feet. “I bet you know the drill. Straight line.” She gestured the area in front of them.

“The Alpha pack left us a little present.” Peter continued. “Which means that they have found an Emissary or are toting around a couple of their own token humans.”

“Jeez,” Ryan snickered as she watched Stiles attempt, and fail pathetically, to walk in a straight line, “He’s totally high.” She chuckled as he tottered all over the place like the world’s most confused snake, weaving back and forth without reason.

“Wolf’s bane is poisonous even to humans,” Derek said, “I don’t know what he was thinking.”

“Worse for you all than him.” Ryan said. “He really is just high. Not poisoned, don’t worry, he’s not human remember?” She shook her head and helped Stiles sit back down.

He could hear Erica and Isaac laughing in the background.

Jerks, all of them.

“Stiles!”

Stiles grinned at his dad dopily. Surely he wouldn’t laugh at him. “Hi, Dad. Hi. I’m High.”

“What? What’s wrong with—“

“High. He’s high.” Derek sighed looking grumpy, not that that was unusual.

“He’s been inhaling wolfsbane fumes.” Ryan said with a grin.

“What?” Stiles’s Dad frowned. “Seriously?”

“A lot of them.” Peter said, “The Alpha pack payed us a little visit while we were out.”

“Jeez.” The sheriff groaned. “He alright?”

“Fine.” Ryan assured him, “it will wear off in a couple of hours.”

“Good.” He sighed and crouched beside Stiles, “How you feeling, Bud?”

“Grreeaatt.” Stiles attempted to imitate the famous tiger. “No, wait, let me try again, GGRR—“

“I got it, kid. That was a great Tony impression, good job.”

Stiles grinned happily at him, “Really? Thanks!”

“Uh-huh. No problem.” He ran a hand over Stiles head gently and looked at Ryan again, “Did you get rid of it?”

“I’m guessing part of his little foray into euphoria has to do with over taxing his powers. It was gone by the time I got here.”

Peter nodded as the rest of the people that had been at Stiles’ house entered the clearing. “They flashed green and then after a few more seconds vanished.”

She nodded, “He OD’d on void magicks then. Not unusual. I swear to the Powers, I have never met a Warlock that didn’t spend a good third of their lives high as a kite.”

“Wait, is it dangerous?” Scott asked.

“Huh? Oh, no.” She smiled at him softly. “They are built to handle it. Just the nature of their magicks, it’s a huge chemical rush so they can be dopey after something big. I think they tend to have more issues during training than anything else because they don’t know how to control their maigickal output.” She frowned, “I guess this means I should try to get a hold of their council and see what we can do about getting him some training.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Victoria asked from her position next to her husband at the foot of the porch stairs.

“Hopefully they will know what to do.” Ryan said, “But he has already claimed territory so that might be tricky.  He won’t want another Warlock on his land and he definitely won’t want to leave it.”

“And they won’t want him on their’s.” Victoria concluded. “Would they refuse?”

“No. They aren’t stupid, they’ll figure it out. Warlocks are too dangerous to go untrained for any reason.” Ari said.

“They just need to find someone that he won’t see as a threat.” Peter said. “Any Warlocks in your family?”

“Not for generations.” Iggy explained, “In fact, I don’t even know of any other Warlock Dola.”

“There are none.” Ryan said. “They don’t like leaving their territory so I’m guessing they were quickly weeded out of the potentials.”

“Great.” Val sighed. “So that rules that out.”  

“Somehow I doubt that Stiles would be all that comfortable with a Dola anyways, with everything that’s going on right now, especially one that was a Warlock.” Ryan said. “I think we need to get him back home and call it a night, re-adjourn tomorrow morning.”

Stiles’ dad nodded in agreement. “I think that is for the best. Do you need a place to stay?”

“Well, I was actually hoping Val could pop me home so that I can get some things and grab Len. We could use her help.”

“I can do that.” Val nodded. “I won’t be able to get you both back though.”

“No, I’ll get Kaare to open a portal for us to come back.”

“Uh, that might be a poor decision.” Iggy said. “Kaare has a hard time controlling the size of his portals, doesn’t he?”

“He’s gotten better.” She said but frowned, “Is there somewhere we can open one that will be less…noticeable?”

“Here.” Peter said. “No one lives around here and if no one saw the giant flaming almost swastika on the lawn they probably won’t see a portal. Someone can pick you up from here.”

She nodded. “Solid plan, actually. Who has the biggest car, I’m gonna be bringing stuff.”

“My Dad has an SUV.” Allison said. Christopher frowned at her.

“Peter does.” Derek said ignoring them.

“Peter drives?” Lydia asked.

“Legally?” Stiles’ dad added.

Peter scowled, “Yes, I drive. I am a 27 year old man, of course I have a car.”

“To be fair, you were in a coma for 6 years, then crazy, then dead.” Erica quipped. “I mean, none of us have ever seen you drive.”

“I have!” Stiles said, “He stole his nurses car after he killed her I saw it when he kidnapped me.”

“Aw, jeez, kid. Are you trying to kill me?” His dad groaned. He growled at Peter suddenly, his son’s word’s apparently registering, “You what?!”

“To be fair, she was probably more of a lunatic than me at the time, after all, she was helping a pathological coma patient escape the hospital on a semi-regular basis.” Peter shrugged. “Honestly, she was starting to creep me out. I think she was hoping I’d have sex with her.”

“Gross!” Scott whined. “We did not need to know that.”

“What, its not like I did it.”

“Still.”

“Back to the point of this conversation, I have a large vehicle and a license,” He said the second to Stiles’ dad pointedly. “I may be persuaded to pick you up.”

“Uh-huh.” Ryan rolled her eyes, “What do you want for it?”

“We’ll call it an IOU.” He smirked.

“Fine.” She said, “Just remember that I could kill you with one hand behind my back.”

“Duly noted.”

“We will be discussing everything that has happened these past few months, Hale.” Stiles’ dad said, his Sheriff-means-business face firmly in place.

“Planning to arrest me, Sheriff?”

“Don’t be an idiot, I wouldn’t put you in jail.” Peter smirked at the sheriff’s words, “Much easier putting you in the ground.”

“Also noted.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Lahey! I said get rid of the evidence not consume it.” Stiles barked at the other teen who just grinned at him and took a pointed bite of his slice of cold pizza.

“It’s not right to waste food, Stiles. I’m just doing my part for the betterment of the world.” He snickered, “Besides, it's not like the rest of the chinese food isn’t sitting in wait in your Dad’s room.”

Stiles sighed. Of course it was.

He shouted as loud as he could knowing that, at the very least the wolves would hear and pass it on, “If it’s not gone in the next ten minutes it goes in the trash! I’m not getting a lecture from my grandmother about poor eating habits.” He paused, “Oh, and anyone not currently consuming their weight in leftovers willing to help in the kitchen? I reward with a batch of cookies of their choice, later on of course.” There was a clattering noise and the sound of babbled arguments, “Two volunteers only.” He amended.

More noise and then Lydia pulled Allison through the door, “More gingersnaps.” She said bluntly.

“Done, and for our Miss Argent?”

“Oh, I don’t care, whatever you have time to make.” She smiled at him.

Isaac shook his head, “No, peanut butter. Come on, Peanut butter. I haven’t had one in so long.” He shot Allison plaintive puppy eyes and she caved almost immediately. Poor girl.

“Is that okay, Stiles?” she asked.

“Up to you.”

“Then, yeah, peanut butter cookies.”

“Done.” He called out again “Sold to the pretty ladies who managed to get past the door before the rest of you bumbling idiots figured out the arguing was totally pointless.” He heard groans and  chuckled. He turned to Isaac, “you were literally in the room with me, why not just claim a spot?”

“I suck at cooking.” He admitted with a shrug.

“Lyds isn’t much better.” Allison added.

“Whatever, Mom doesn’t cook either, who was I supposed to learn from? Besides, Jackson actually knows how to cook so I don’t need to.”

Stiles held back a laugh at the image of househusband Jackson before wondering when exactly it had stopped hurting to think of Lydia and Jackson being together forever.

“Lydia, you can chop veggies, Allison preheat the oven to 350 and then come stir this batter together for me.” The girls nodded and set about their appointed tasks.

“Stiles!” He heard his dad shout from upstairs, “Have you seen that—“

“Linen closet in the master bathroom.” He called back. “And don’t forget the—“

“Already got it.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow at him curiously as she chopped the asparagus and cherry tomatoes for his quiche. “Grandma has sent some more questionable gifts over the years and we tend to hide them unless she is coming over for some reason.” He explained.

Allison giggled, “Mom and Dad have a stash of gifts from my Mom’s family that only ever make appearances in the photos we send out as part of the yearly family update.”

Lydia shook her head at them, “Why not just return them?”

“Well, for starters, it isn’t easy to return a weird statue from Istanbul without, you know, leaving the US.” Stiles said, “And second, that would be rude.”

She shrugged, “Mom has always returned the odd stuff, or re-gifted it to people that she really doesn’t like but is forced to associate with for one reason or another.”

Stiles laughed. That sounded like something that the woman that gave birth to Lydia Martin would do. She probably wrapped it up elegantly and concocted some story about how it reminded her of them in a way that was vaguely insulting in the nicest possible way.

Stiles’ dad came down the hall from the stairs with a cardboard box that Stiles knew was full of their collection of Eclectic knick-knacks and miscellany. “Stiles, what the hell is this thing and what do I do with it?” He asked holding up an item.

“I believe that is a Matryoshka.” Lydia commented, “Russian nesting doll.”

“Right, Matryoshka, great. What do I do with it?” He muttered setting it aside to pull out the cookie jar shaped like one of the Easter Island Moai. He settled it in the corner of the counter.

She shrugged, “Decorate I suppose. Maybe put them on the bookcase in the living room?”

“Right, good. That’s good. You’re useful.” He pulled out an elaborate vase next and stuck it on the kitchen table.

She rolled her eyes, “Why thank you, Sheriff. It’s always nice to be appreciated.”

Allison snickered, “Sheriff, maybe you should get some flowers from the yard to put in there.”

“Flowers?” He glanced back at the empty vase, “Right, flowers. Great.” He nodded to himself before heading outside.

Stiles sighed, “Could one of you go with him and make sure he doesn’t bring in anything poisonous?”

Lydia nodded and set down her knife. “I’m done with these anyways.” She followed him out the door.

Allison glanced after them, “Stiles, is your dad okay? He seems…”

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s just…he gets jittery when Grams visits.”

“How come?”

Stiles rolled his shoulders and set aside his wisk, leaning against the counter and looking at her, “Its stupid. He thinks that she is going to be disappointed in him.”

“What?”

“I told you it was stupid.” Stiles sighed, “He thinks that she is going to be upset with his abilities as a single dad, which is so damn stupid because she is really proud of him—“

“We all are.” Ari said as he came in the room, “And you, you have done a great job taking care of each other.”

Stiles smiled at him, “Hey, Bear, hibernation over?”

Ari laughed and hip checked him on his way to the coffee pot. “Shut up. It’s not that late.”

“10am.” Stiles countered. “Might want to go shower, Gram and Auntie will be here in an hour and a half.”

“That explains the Moai.” He nodded at the cookie jar as he sipped his coffee happily. “Dad accidently-on-purpose broke ours two years ago.”

“Gram bought that?”

“I doubt it, at least if the huge Hippopotamus he received on his birthday is any indication.”

“Nice.”

“Mom makes him keep it in his office since they don’t get the benefit of being able to hide her gifts. It scared the crap out of me one night when I went to grab something in there.” He shuddered, “It looks hungry, man. Hungry for flesh.”

Isaac choked back a laugh. “Your Grandmother sounds kind of awesome, Stiles.”

“She is pretty great.” Stiles grinned, “She is going to think you are the cutest thing to ever exist. You should have seen her fawn over Matt when Val brought him to Thanksgiving dinner when they first started dating. She has a thing about sad cow eyes and fluffy hair.”

“Scott is her precious darling.” Ari agreed, “I think she would happily trade every one of us for him.”

“She so would.” Stiles laughed, “She has been pulling for Dad and Mama McCall to get together so she can claim Scottie as her very own.”

“Really?” Allison asked, curious. “Have they ever…”

“No.” Stiles said, a little sadly. If he was honest, he was pulling for it too. “Dad has a hard time thinking about moving on from Mom and Mama is…it hasn’t been as long as some people think since Raphael left.”

“Really? I assumed that it had been a long time.” Allison said.

Stiles shook his head as he stirred the vegetables that Lydia had cut into the eggs, “Two years or so, just before Scott’s fourteenth birthday.”

“Oh wow, I didn’t realize.” She murmured.

“Yeah.” Stiles said as he poured his egg mixture into the crust he had set aside. “It hit them pretty hard. It was probably for the best but still.”

“I don’t,” She hesitated, “You don’t have to tell me but do you know what happened?”

“Raphael wasn’t a bad guy. He was just, not the married type I guess. Or rather, he was the married to his job type, more accurately.” He said. “He loved Mama and Scott, don’t get me wrong, but work was always in the forefront of his mind. He got a promotion and had to leave the state and they just decided that it was better to just let it go than drag it out and hurt Scott more by taking him away from his home and his friends.”

“Wow.”

“I would avoid talking about it to Scott though.” He said. “He’s…he is still sort of angry with his dad.”

“I don’t know that I blame him.” She said, “I mean it sucks, his dad chose work over family.”

“That is one way to look at it, I guess.”

“There are others?”

“Well, he let them move on. He realized that he wasn’t a good husband or father and instead of dragging it out he let Mama out. It wasn’t new. He was always like that so, in a lot of ways it was better for all of them.”

“But still, he lost his dad.”

“Which, and don’t tell him I said this, is more his fault than anything else. He is the one that refuses to speak to him, that walks away when he calls and leaves his gifts unopened.” He placed the quiche in the oven, “I love Scott, I really do. He is my brother and I would do anything for him but he can be a fucking idiot at times, his dad is trying.”

“I think that your opinion might be colored by the loss of your mother, Stiles.” Allison said softly. “You have to recognize that she didn’t chose to leave you, Scott’s dad did.”

“I guess. It just seems like he is willing to forget every good thing Raphael has ever done for him because of one decision that has actually made his mother ten times happier and their lives significantly easier.”

“Apparently you are more emotionally mature than the rest of us. I don’t think I could forgive him if my dad left or my mom for that matter.” She admitted.

Stiles nodded and turned to start cutting up some fruit. Lydia walked back into the room with a bunch of flowers and set about trimming the stems to put in the vase. “Your dad got distracted by something in your garage.” She explained.

“Yeah, he is probably checking the gun cabinets. Gram always inspects them to make sure they are super secure and I can’t get into them. We don’t tell her that I know all the codes.”

“You know how to shoot?” Allison asked curiously. “My dad is teaching me but I am a lot better with arrows than bullets.”

“I’m the Sheriff’s son.” Stiles laughed, “Of course I know how to shoot. Scott too, though he doesn’t have great aim.” Stiles thought for a second, “I wonder if that has changed since turning, sharper reflexes and vision.”

“And hearing, he may not want to blow out his wolfy eardrums when he has built in weaponry at his disposal.” Lydia said.

Right. Stiles hadn’t thought about that.  The noise took a lot of getting used to and he imagined it would be hell on Scott’s, and any of the Beta’s, sensitive ears.

Stiles saw Isaac snap to attention out of the corner of his eye and left the fruit to check out the car that had pulled into the driveway. Ryan was the first to hop out of the huge black pick-up with a grin. Who would have thought that Peter Hale was a Pick-up man? “Stiles! Little buddy, how are you feeling? Less high?” She grinned at him.

“I’m fine.”

“Come here.” She waved him over, “I brought friends.” He walked over as a pretty blonde girl jumped down from the back door of the cab. “This is Lennon, my sister.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She greeted him with a gentle smile. She was taller than her sister, willowy and wearing tight jeans and a floral patterned tee-shirt. Her blonde hair was intricately braided, spilling over one shoulder.

“You too.” Stiles replied.

A man appeared next, equally blond and pretty but with a significantly higher threat value in Stiles’ books. Stiles could see the slight bulge of a concealed gun at his waist and the man carried himself like someone who knew how to use it. Stiles thought that he sort of reminded him of Chris Argent. They had the same ‘I can kill you with my eyes closed and my both hands behind my back’ aura. “This is Laramie James. A Dola, the same kind as your father, actually.”

“I don’t actually know what my father is.” Stiles said with sudden realization. That seemed like something he should know.

“Huh. Okay, they are Huntsmen.”

“Huntsmen?”

Laramie spoke up, “The spectral warriors of the Erlking’s Wildhunt and tamers of his demon hounds.” He held up the small creature in his hands.

“That’s a puppy.”

“It is.”

“A Pomeranian.”

“Yes.”

“The demon hounds of the wild hunt are a pack of Pomeranians? Because, that doesn’t _seem_ so threatening. Also, are you sure my dad is one because my goldfish tried to attack him once when he went to clean his bowl? Animals hate him.”

“That would be the scent of the demon hounds.”

“The scent of Pomeranian makes animals go nuts? Because I have to say, I know Mrs. Avery’s fluffy ball of evil is a pain in the ass but I have never seen anything go out of its way to attack him.”

Ryan laughed. “He’s not actually a Pomeranian, Stiles. It would be difficult for him to hang around your house in his demonic form.”

“Demonic form?”

“Yes, Demon hound, it’s in the name.” Peter said as he came around the side of the truck. “Now can we get all of their stuff out of my truck?”

“But…it’s a Pomeranian.”


	12. Chapter 12

It was decidedly not a Pomeranian.

Not even close.

“That is some resident evil shit right there.” Isaac commented as they watched the absolutely-not-a-Pomeranian run circles around his master in the large backyard.

“You are not wrong.” Stiles said.

As soon as its collar had come off the cute, fluffy little mop of fur had enlarged to the size of a mid-sized sedan and turned black as coal. Its eyes glowed white and its head had sort of split open into two separate heads, dark red tongues lolling out between massive, pearly white, fangs. Stiles wondered who their doggy dentist was because _damn_.

“He’s gorgeous isn’t he?” The Sheriff asked behind them and Stiles turned incredulous eyes on him. “You should see Magastre, though. Maybe I’ll bring him home with me now that you know what is going on.”

“Magastre being your version of that unholy creature in our yard?” Stiles asked, already knowing (and dreading) the answer. “Is he a Pomeranian too?” He added sarcastically.

It went right over his Dad’s head. “Hm? No, her secondary form is that of a pit-bull.”

Great, scary in both forms.

“I’m not sure how the wolves would feel about that.” He tried hopefully.

“Actually, many packs keep wolves and other large canines in their packs, they are good at defending the territory.” Peter commented as he exited the back door, “Granted, I don’t know of any pack with a Demon hound but I imagine that we could get used to their presence.”

Thank you, Peter.

Now Stiles was going to end up living with one of those things permanently.

Perfect.

To think, Stiles had just been getting over his compulsion to kick the older man in the balls every time he saw him. There was that progress shot.

“Come on, he’s just a giant puppy.” Ryan said with a laugh. “He won’t eat you.”

“Are you sure about that?” Stiles said, “He looks sort of peckish.”

Lennon giggled, “Armensis is a teddy bear. I watch him for Laramie all the time while he is at work. He’ll do anything for a belly rub and some teriyaki flavored jerky.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.” He glared at Peter, “If I catch even a whiff of teriyaki on your person I will make sure you stay dead this time.”

“Well, there goes my dinner plans.” Peter snarked.

“Stiles, the timer is going off.” Isaac said.

Stiles glanced back at the creature in his yard one last time before he headed inside to check on his completed quiche. He pulled it out of the oven and smiled, perfection.

“That smells insanely good.” Allison said.

“Thanks.” He said as he set the pan on top of the stove to rest. “I can give you the recipe if you’d like.”

“Awesome. Always looking for new ideas for Mother’s day breakfast, I think mom is getting bored with bacon and cheddar scrambles.”

“It’s super easy, though the crust takes a bit of practice.”

“By the way, was this batter supposed to be this thin?” She asked indicating the mixture she had set aside.

“Yes, it’s for crepes.”

“Crepes?! Stiles, are you trying to seduce me? If you are, it’s definitely working. That’s it, I’m leaving Scott for the better brother. Totally worth it.”

Stiles grinned at her, “My nefarious plot has been discovered.”

She laughed happily, “Scott just texted me, he will be here in five, his mom’s shift got pushed back an hour.”

“Great, he should get here just before Gram and Auntie.” He said. “Could you grab the fruit bowls out of the fridge?”

“Sure. Is the bacon done?”

“Almost, just another minute, I think.” He peeked into the oven again and nodded, “Yep, almost there.”

Allison set the bowls that Stiles had prepared on the counter and glanced out the window with a shiver, “That thing is really something, huh?”

“Apparently its name is Armensis.” Stiles sighed, “And now dad wants to bring his home.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, and I won’t even get to pretend that she is a Pomeranian. Her second form is a Pitt.”

“I see.” She shook her head, “Good luck with that.”

“Thanks, you are so sweet and comforting.”

“Better you than me.”

Stiles glanced around noticing a distinct lack of other people in the kitchen and living room, “Where did everyone go?”

“Lyds took off with Jackson to go get Danny. Erica and Boyd are around somewhere and your cousins are all upstairs getting ready.”

“Leaving us with all the work, nice.” He rolled his eyes and then frowned, “Wait, where be the Alpha?”

“He got a phone call twenty minutes ago and took off.”

“A phone call? Who calls Derek that isn’t currently in this house or heading for it?”

“He has to know someone outside of the pack, right?” Stiles lifted his eyebrow at her and she sighed with a shrug, “Yeah, seemed odd to me too.”

“He is in his car outside.”

“Fuck!” Stiles squeaked and whirled on the older Were. “I am buying you a collar with a bell on it.”

“Kinky.” Peter smirked causing Stiles to gag.

“Gross, you pervert.”

“You brought it up.” Peter shrugged, “He is talking to one of the nearby Alpha’s to see if she has any information on the Alpha pack.”

“Hey, you do have contacts. Here I thought that you were just friendless and pathetic.” Stiles sneered at him.

“Contrary to prior belief, many people find me quite charming.”

“Like the Nurse?”

“Now, that is just low.”

“Now isn’t the time for pigtail pulling, boys.” Jackson mocked as he followed Danny and Lydia into the kitchen.

“You couldn’t have left him in the car?” Stiles said to Lydia and Danny who laughed.

“So, this smells fantastic.” Danny commented lifting the corner of the tin foil that Stiles had laid over the top of the quiche.

“Thank you, Danny.”  Stiles said as he nudged the other teen out of the way and opened the oven to pull out the trays of perfectly crisped bacon. “Oh, by the way, there is some sort of hellspawn dog-thing in our yard right now so don’t freak out if you look out back and see him.”

“His name is Armensis.” Allison added.

“Uh, okay.” Danny shrugged and glanced out the window, “Holy shit!” He stumbled back and turned to them wide-eyed, “What the hell is that thing?”

“Demon hound.” Stiles shrugged.

“Christ Almighty! Is it here to eat us?”

“I have been assured that it is not, however, I, personally, am suspicious of its motives.”

“Yeah, I can’t blame you.” Danny glanced outside again, “On the other hand, who it that with it?” He grinned.

“Laramie James.” Stiles chuckled, “He is a Dola. A huntsman like my dad, they apparently tame those things.”

“He can tame me anytime.”

Stiles rolled his eyes at him, “Really? You went there?”

“I sure did.”

***

“There is my favorite baby.”

Stiles grinned as his Grandmother stepped out of the car and quickly embraced her, “Gram! You’ve shrunk.”

She frowned at him playfully, “I most certainly have not; you have simply grown.”

“No, no. I think you shrunk.” He laughed as she slapped him lightly on the chest.

“I have changed my mind, where is Matt, he’s my new favorite.”

“Hey hon.” Stiles’ aunt greeted as she came around the rental car. “How have you been?”

“Umm…do you really want an answer to that question?”

She laughed, “No, I suppose I already know. Where are my sons?”

Stiles laughed, “Still getting dressed, they decided to be lazy today.”

“I fear it is more a birth defect than a decision. They took after your uncle.”

“Sorry I’m late!” Scott called as he jogged up the driveway. “Gramma S!”

“Scottie, darling, how are you?” She smiled as Scott swept her into a hug.

“Let’s not crush the poor woman, she’s old, fragile bones and all.” Stiles joked.

“My turn.” Stiles aunt smiled and pulled Scott into a hug of her own. “I brought you more cookies, sweetheart.”

“Really?!”

“Of course.”

“Nice!”

“I hear that a lot has gone on in your lives since last we saw you.”

Scott frowned, “Yeah, a lot.”

“We will have to be filled in on everything but we shall start with the most essential,” Gram said, linking her arm through Scott’s, “You must introduce us to your girlfriend.”

Scott beamed, “Yeah, you’ll love her. Her name is Allison…”

Stiles shook his head as Scott dragged his aunt and grandmother off to see Allison, then looked at the car and sighed, sure, the guy with all the supernatural strength gets to go inside and he get to unpack the ridiculous amount of luggage from the car.

He popped open the trunk and started to pull out the first suitcase, struggling under its weight and glaring, annoyed, at the overweight sticker taunting him from the luggage tag  that told him that this particular suitcase weighed nearly as much as him. What the hell did they bring with them? How much did they pay to get it on the plane?

He tugged again trying to dislodge the other bag that was half on top of it and just out of his reach. He had managed to get it out about halfway when he started to really struggle. His hand was brushed aside and Stiles watched as Derek tugged the luggage out one handed and set it to the side.

“I almost had it.” Stiles pouted.

“No, it almost had you. You have a house full of werewolves and you tried to pick this thing up yourself?” Derek said as he reached into the back part of the trunk to grab one of the smaller bags.

“I’m not weak.”

Derek rolled his eyes, “No, I didn’t say you were. What I am saying is that this bag weighs three pounds more than you do and was stuck on something. You are lucky you didn’t concuss yourself trying to get it out.”

Stiles frowned and pulled the handle out to roll the suitcase into the house. His Aunt poked his head out the door and smiled at him, “Oh great. Thanks, hon. Just that one and the dark green bag please.”

He nodded and Derek put back the one that he was holding and grabbed the dark green duffel instead, shutting the trunk. “Switch?” He offered holding out the duffel. Stiles frowned again but handed over the huge suitcase in favor of the smaller duffel.

They headed for the door and Stiles glanced back at Derek, “How did the call go?”

“Huh? Oh, fine.”

Fine? What kind of answer was that?

“You were talking to another Alpha, right?”

“Marianna Leori, the Alpha of the Triva Pack up in Oregon. She was a good friend of my Mom’s.”

“That’s good. Did she have any information on the Alpha pack?”

“Some. Names of a few of the Alphas. She is going to call up a friend of hers whose pack took in a couple of refugees from Giram Pack including their Former Alpha’s son.”

“I thought that they were killing their packs to join.”

“He refused them so they killed him and it was a small pack so the rest of them scattered.”

“Oh.” Stiles didn’t really know what to say.

“We were right.”

“What?”

“They have an Emissary. A woman.”

“Oh, that’s not good, huh?”

“Not really, not when we don’t.” Derek frowned at the stairs, “Do I take this up?”

Good question. Stiles stared at the suitcase, assessing the situation.

“No. Just leave it there for now. They are staying at a hotel so I doubt this is stuff for the bedrooms.”

Derek nodded and tucked it up against the wall so no one would trip on it and Stiles laid the bag on top of it.

“We have Deaton.” Stiles said after a beat.

“We do, but he isn’t really our Emissary anymore.” Derek told him.

“We could ask—“

“I did. He refused, said we need an Emissary that is better suited for our pack.”

“Because the trees are ripe with Emissaries around here.” Stiles muttered. Deaton was a pain in the ass.

“That’s what I said.” Derek said rolling his own eyes.

“Stiles, sweetie? Bring the green bag in here, would you?” His Grandmother called out.

“Coming.” He called back and picked up the bag he had put aside and heading for the kitchen. Realizing that Derek wasn’t following he glared at him over his shoulder, “Come on. Besides, you need to see that thing Laramie brought over.”

“The Pomeranian?”

“Yeah... its not a Pomeranian.”

Derek followed him into the kitchen. Stiles let his Aunt take the bag from him and set it on the table before digging out several containers filled with cookies. “Jeez, Auntie. Do any of your baked goods actually make it to the bakery?”

“Don’t sass me, I haven’t seen Scottie or Melissa in more than a year and you have more friends now.”

Jackson snickered from his position next to Lydia. Stiles glared at him “That one isn’t my friend so there is no need to provide him cookies.”

“Grzegorz, be nice.”

“No.”

His grandmother frowned at him. His aunt looked up as she pulled out the last box, “Where should I put these?”

“Uh, where ever you want to. I should call everyone in, Brunch is ready.”

“Ooh, did you make that thing that I like?”

“I did.” Stiles smiled at his aunt.

“I would trade all three of my useless sons for you, Stiles. Ari still struggles not to burn toast.”

“Heathens.” He laughed as Iggy came in looking curious.

“Who is a heathen?”

“You are.”

“What did I do?”

“Inherit the Stilinski skills in cooking.”

“Totally not my fault.” Iggy shrugged.

“Call everyone in for me?” Stiles requested as he set out the platters of food.

“Will do.”

“Do you, uh, need any help?” Derek asked lowly.

Stiles grinned at him, “Actually, I do. Top cabinet over there, the cream coloured plates. Do not break them or I will skin you and use your man-pelt as a rug.”

Derek nodded and opened the cabinet in question, “Where should I put them?”

“Uh, Just leave them stacked at the end of the counter, please.” Stiles told him after thinking for a minute, “After that, grab the glasses on the shelf underneath and put them on the Kitchen table with the drinks.”

They worked silently for a few moments before Derek spoke again, gruffly, “You okay?”

“Huh?” Stiles glanced over at him confused as he piles strips of bacon into a large bowl, “What are you talking about?”

“The, uh, smoke from yesterday.”

Oh, right. That.

“Yeah, no worries. I’m fine now. I feel considerably less likely to tear out someone’s throat for looking at me funny. Though, it does come to me a lot more quickly as of late.”

“That’s normal.” Derek said as he set the first load of glasses on the table, “Well, I guess it is. It is for wolves. Territory stuff.”

“Right, right.” Stiles paused and then verbalized something that had been on his mind since last night, “Ryan says that this land has been mine for a while, right?”

“That’s how she made it sound.” Derek agreed.

“How come it doesn’t bother me that the pack is here? I mean, not that I want it to but it seems odd.”

“Probably because Scott was yours long before we came back.” Derek said with a shrug, “You just sort of merged yourself with the pack as it came to be.”

“I guess but—“

“It’s not like you weren’t hostile at first. Think about it. And besides, I bet you didn’t expand your territory to include our land until the pack became part of your life.”

“True.” Stiles admitted, unsure of how he even knew that that was the case.

“Derek wasn’t a threat to you until he became Alpha and by then you had already mostly accepted him as part of your territory.” Ari said as he came back into the kitchen. He stole a piece of bacon before speaking again, “It’s probably why you are still so hostile to Hale the elder. He was the first real threat to your territory and even though he isn’t anymore he isn’t really part of it either. You consider Derek to be yours, not Peter.”

Stiles balked, “Derek is not mine!”

“He is. He and his pack which only sort of includes Peter at this point because he trusts him about as far as he can…okay so that phrase does not work for werewolves, huh.”

“Given that I can throw my uncle pretty far if I put my mind to it, no.”

“Okay, fine.” Stiles interrupted, “Still, Derek is a person. People and territory are mutually exclusive.”

“Not for Warlocks, they are not.” Laramie stated as he followed Ryan and Stiles’ dad into the kitchen, Armenis once again collared and down to his tiny form. “Warlocks consider people part of their territory. Certain ones are closer to them than others, an inner circle if you will, but generally anyone that is on their territory is part of their territory, which is why they have such issues with people. They tend to live in fairly remote areas so that their people are less likely to leave.”

“I don’t know that I am okay with that.” Stiles admitted, “It sounds kind of stalkery and possessive.”

“Warlocks _are_ kind of stalkery and possessive.” Laramie shrugged.

“I don’t want to be stalkery and possessive.” Stiles whined.

Ryan laughed, “You got kind of lucky, Stiles, your inner circle is made up of preters and Fae for the most part. The wolves at least will understand the possessiveness.”

“Ugh.” Stiles rubbed his face wearily, “So I consider myself Alpha?”

“You are Alpha of the territory if you want to put it that way.”

“Derek is Alpha.” Stiles countered.

“Derek is Pack Alpha, you are territory alpha.” This time it was Lennon that spoke, “He defers to you.”

“No. He doesn’t.” “No, I don’t” Stiles muttered as Derek growled.

“He does. You…trust him to make the right decisions though so he rarely has to defer. But he probably relies on you to provide him with what he needs to make his choices and if you were to refute him he would likely make a change that you asked for. You probably don’t bother to though.” She said. “It’s complicated, your relationship is complicated.”

“Great, let me update my Facebook status.” Stiles snapped.

“Stiles, I know it sounds weird but it’s the truth, I spoke to the Warlock council last night when I got home. They were shocked to hear that you had a pack as part of your territory but said that it was more because of the amount of trust it takes for a Warlock to delegate.” Ryan explained.

“Look, guys,” Stiles’ dad said, “I know this is important but how about we all eat first before we jump into this stuff?”

Stiles jumped on the opportunity, “Yes, please. Let’s do that.”

“Fine, but it needs to be said.”

“Later. Food first.”

“Right.”

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late, sorry. Had a bit of a hectic week, between getting my wisdom teeth out and some family happenings and then i just blanked on the fact that i didn't post on thursday.

Later came a lot later than it probably should have.

“So, I’m just going to go call the council again.” Ryan muttered, “And maybe a cleaning crew.”

“I definitely didn’t mean to do that.” Stiles said staring at the re-destroyed living room. “I…” He glanced at his dad, “Sorry?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh my.” Gram said softly as she looked around at the damage, “That is…something.”

“I really wish it was something else.” Stiles said, mostly to himself.

“What caused it this time?” Derek muttered to him.

“I have no clue. I was fine then really pissed then fine again but this had already happened.”

“Right. You don’t sense anything off about the territory?”

“No. Everything is fi—“ He cut himself of because he realized that something was off. There was a weird tingle in the back of his mind. “Wait, I’m wrong. Something is…someone is hurt, maybe? It’s weird.”

“Holy Crap! Are you okay?!” Lennon’s voice shrieked shocked as the front door opened.

The only answer she received was a growl.

“Peter.” Derek barked and moved to see what was happening in the hall. Stiles followed him immediately and gagged when he saw Peter lying on the floor in his Beta form panting and trying to staunch blood flow from a huge wound on his side.

“What happened?!” He asked, getting down and trying to pry the older man’s clawed and filthy hands away from his side.

“Alpha” Peter grunted and winced as Stiles took the wet towel that someone handed him and started to wipe away the blood.

“Man up.” He muttered as the wolf gave a particularly violent shudder in response to his cleaning. “And put those claws away.”

“Easier said than done.” Peter complained even as the wolf visage bled away. “This shit hurts.”

“I bet.”

“What happened?”

“Female Alpha was hanging out at the edge of the preserve.” Peter explained. His breath hitched as Stiles pressed one of the wounds more fully, trying to halt the sluggish bleeding. “Just outside the town border.”

“That’s why I didn’t feel it.” Stiles muttered.

“Only time she crossed over was long enough to scratch the hell out of me. She hightailed it out of there when three trees and a large chunk of ground up and disappeared.” Peter looked at Stiles intensely. Stiles refused to comment.

“Why was she even there?”

“Boundary testing, I’d guess. I smelled her on my way back and went to check it out.”

“Idiot.” Stiles snapped, “You should have called Derek.”

“I was right there.”

“And look what that got you.” Stiles muttered. “She was vicious, wasn’t she?”

“Quite.”

“Great, so they are trying to figure out where we are weakest.” Derek said. “Which means that they are preparing to strike.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Ari said.

Peter raised his eyebrow at him, “Oh?”

“Not that they won’t strike.” Ari admitted, “Only it is an inopportune time for them. Unless they are total idiots they are unlikely to try and attack a pack surrounded by Fae and hunters.”

“You think that they are trying to goad us into coming to them so that they can get us away from our current protection.” Derek said.

Ari nodded, “However, if the Alpha that attacked Peter knows anything about Fae, she is going right back to Deucalion and telling him about the hard border she just found.”

“How come that didn’t happen last night?”

“The Hale lands are newer to your territory, I don’t doubt that it would happen if they tried it again.”

“This is going to be a pain in the ass until they finish testing the waters, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Maybe not.” Ryan said as she came into the hall, she glanced at Peter, “Wow, you look rough.”

“You don’t say?”

“No need to be sassy.” She frowned at him before turning to look at Stiles, “This time they really listened, they think that they have someone that can help. Not a full trainer, it would be impossible to get a fully trained Warlock out here while your territory is under threat.”

“Who then?”

“Another baby Warlock, just slightly less baby than you. He’s been training under one of the council members and is prepping for his excursion which he will now be taking out here to try and help you get things under control.”

“I won’t see him as a threat?”

She sighed, “Well, there are no real guarantees but he is young enough that it shouldn’t be a real issue and he isn’t ready for a territory yet, never mind a territory war with more powerful Warlock, newbie or not.”

“Do you know him? It sounds like you do.”

“Not directly, no.” She shrugged, “Laramie has met him a couple of times though. Sorcerers and Warlocks tend to avoid each other as much as possible.”

“Is this going to be a problem for you and Lennon?” Stiles asked her, concerned.

“No.” She asserted, “Just don’t expect us to be friendly.”

Stiles nodded before glancing back at Peter’s wounds. “No more bleeding, you going to be alright?”

“Fine, though I won’t be moving anywhere all that quickly in the next few days.”

“That’ll teach you not to go up against a hostile alpha without backup.”

Peter smirked at him, “Apparently I had backup.”

Stiles flushed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. But, we don’t know where the weak spots in my territory are yet so be more fucking careful.” Stiles glanced at Derek, “I think you need to institute a buddy system until we get things figured out.”

“I’ll make sure they know not to go anywhere alone.” Derek nodded.

“And make sure Jackson understands that Danny and Lydia don’t count in his case, he needs another wolf with him.”

“Be prepared for Sad Cow eyes from Mr. Lahey, he’s the only person that shares all of his classes and extracurricular activities.” Peter scoffed.

“Scott?” Derek asked.

“He’ll have to trade off depending on where and when, they all will, but Safety first.” Stiles paused, “I hope you two realize that I absolutely mean you too. I do not want to catch either of you without your buddy.” He gestured between them, “Think of it like an Uncle-nephew bonding exercise.”

“Joy.” Peter scowled.

“I’m the Alpha.” Derek muttered mostly to himself.

“Which puts you in even more danger, and Peter was the Alpha so they might move for him too.” Stiles frowned. If he was being totally honest with himself he didn’t like the idea of either of the older men being alone, even with each other. Especially with Peter injured.

Peter seemed to read his mind, “I can still fight if I have to. I won’t let your puppy get himself killed.”

“I still don’t like it. Honestly, where do you guys even live? Do you live together?” Stiles groaned, “God, tell me that you don’t live in the mystery subway.”

“We do not,” “It wasn’t that bad.” “anymore.” Derek glared at Peter who shrugged at him looking utterly unrepentant.

Stiles shook his head, “Okay, no. Not getting into it. Where do you live now?”

“Apartment in the warehouse district.” Peter told him. “It works for now.”

“Worked better when it was just me…” Derek groused.

“Should have thought of that before you killed me, nephew, and left me without any way of getting my own place.”

“First of all, you were a disappeared, homicidal, coma patient before I killed you so it was unlikely anyone was about to let you sign a lease. And second, it wouldn’t have been an issue at all if you had stayed dead, now would it?”

Stiles snorted a little at the affronted look on Peter’s face. “He’s not wrong, Zombiewolf. You kind of screwed yourself over.”

“No one knew I was homicidal, thank you very much.” Peter said, annoyed.

“Well, that’s not entirely true. I mean, they did find the nurse’s body eventually. It’s sort of 2+2 from there.”

Peter didn’t have a response for that.

Stiles shook his head and turned back to Ryan, “Did they say when?”

“Tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.”

“Great, now let’s just pray that I don’t blow up the school tomorrow.”

“Let’s.”

***

“Oh come on!” Stiles barked as he stared at the air that had been, only a moment before, his lacrosse stick.

“At least it was more confined this time.” Danny offered before handing him his spare short stick. “Please try not to vanish this one.”

That was easier said than done. Stiles had been struggling all day to avoid publically taking out half the lockers, their lunch table, and his urinal. The Alphas were active today.

Actively trying to either drive Stiles insane or force him to literally create a moat around the town.

People were going to start noticing soon. This was ridiculous.

His phone dinged with an incoming text. He handed it to Danny to check it, he had nearly taken it out earlier and he was not risking it.

“Your dad spotted Alpha’s this time.” Danny told him reading the text and frowning, “They literally tried walking down the road into town, He has it blocked off as a sudden sinkhole and is steering traffic around it.”

“Ugh.” Stiles groaned. He needed that Warlock here fast before he actually turned Beacon Hills into a land-locked Island. Was that even a thing? Re-defining geography, this was Stiles’ life now.

Awesome.

The phone dinged again, “Wait, Stiles.” Danny said eyes going wide, “It was the twins.”

“What?”

“Your dad says that they were identical males about our age.”

“Great.” Stiles sighed and glanced around the empty locker room and noted that coach had left his office door slightly ajar. “Okay, go out there and tell coach that I had to use the bathroom, I’ll be out ASAP.”

“Are you going to the bathroom?”

“No, I need to call Dead-man walking.”

“Why? Wouldn’t Derek be better?”

“He would if he would actually give me his fucking number.” Stiles snapped. “Sorry, just let the guys know that I am fine and will be out in a few.

“Got it.” Danny said and headed out of the locker room.

Stiles snagged the phone off the bench where Danny had left it and moved to the office closing the door behind him. He dialed Peter’s number and drummed a tattoo against the desk impatiently as it rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

“Shouldn’t you be chasing a small ball around a field right now?” Peter asked, not bothering to greet him. Stiles thought he could hear the distinct sound of a newspaper page turning over.

“It happened again.”

“Has it? And your point?”

“Look is Derek there, I don’t have much time.”

“He is unavailable at the moment.”

Stiles scowled, “Buddy system, asshole. You are not supposed to go anywhere without him.”

“I didn’t realize I was supposed to follow him into the shower as well.” Peter snarked, “I will be sure to remedy that in the future.”

Oh, whoops.

“Whatever. Just let him know that my dad saw them this time, on the road into town. We think it was our twins.”

“What?” Now, Peter sounded interested. Stiles could hear him fold up and set aside the paper. “Are you certain?”

“I wasn’t there, dipshit. But Dad says it was two identical males in their teens. So, yeah, pretty sure.”

“No need for such hostility, Grzegorz.” Stiles could almost hear his frown, “This proves our theory though.”

“What?”

“They are different. Duke wouldn’t send out anyone that he didn’t know for sure would have the control not to attack humans in public and have the reflexes to get away from your little outbursts. They must have solid control and they have to get along if he sent them together.”

“Great, what does that mean for us?”

“Contrary to prior belief I am not precognitive. I have no idea what it means or what they can do.” Peter said. “It means we need to watch out for them though. Especially since they are young, it would be easy for them to blend in if they do find a weak point in your defense.”

“I think we would notice a brand new set of big ass twins in town. They have to know that we know that they are here. I mean they set your lawn on fire.”

“I doubt they know that we have any idea that the twins exist.” Peter said, “Duke has always been of the mind that he is the only one with a brain on the planet. That is probably why they are using them. Marianna did not know about the twins and he probably assumed that I would tell the pack about the woman who attacked me. Kali, by the way.”

“What?”

“Her name is Kali. Or at least it is if she is the only female in the pack. That is the only female on the list Marianna gave us and she fits the description fairly well.”

“Okay, that’s helpful?”

“Perhaps.”

Great, so even he didn’t know what the hell they were supposed to be doing.

“Whatever. Okay, since Sourwolf is currently indisposed I will talk to you both tonight. I have to get to practice before I get kicked out of first line after only one weekend.”

“I will relay the information.”

“Right, thanks.”

Stiles ended the call and rushed out of the office and out the door where he was greeted be the annoyed face of Coach Finstock.

“Bilinski! Move your ass!”

“On it coach.”

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck. I wasn't even that busy last week, I just lacked any and all inspiration...including for editing. All apologies to my readers, I am ashamed of my own laziness. On that note, I won't promise that it won't happen again because that would likely be a lie. I'm not about to produce subpar writing for you all so I'd rather make you wait.

“Why do I play this game?” Stiles groaned weakly and half collapsed on Allison’s shoulder as he plopped himself down on the bleachers.

“Beats me.” She giggled, “But I won’t complain. The practice gear does great things for your butts.”

“Oh, there’s a reason to keep torturing myself.”

“Oh come on, you finally made first line,” Scott muttered, hauling Stiles up from his seat, “and now you won’t stop complaining about it.”

“Not all of us have supernatural stamina, strength, and agility.” Stiles said with a pout.

“Dude, technically you are more supernatural than the rest of us combined.”

“Oh, great. Next game I’ll just make all of the opposition’s lacrosse sticks disappear, that’ll help the cause.”

“Oh, is that why you have a different stick?” Scott asked, pity in his eyes.

“Danny didn’t tell you?”

“He just said that you had another ‘episode’ and stuff.” Scott shrugged.

“Right. Well, yes, bye-bye lacrosse stick.”

“That sucks.”

“Not nearly as much as the ‘sinkhole’ in the road where the super spy-twins decided to take a stroll.”

“Yikes.”

“Yep.”

“Bilinski, McCall, get you pathetic little asses back on the field before I stick you in the goal without equipment!”

“Sorry, Finstock.” Stiles called back, “Pretty sure that is illegal. Child endangerment and all.”

“Do not try me!”

“Dude, come on. Scoring drills are next.” Scott said tugging him along.

“Allison!” Stiles called mournfully, “Save me.”

She just laughed.  Damn her.

He and Scott jogged over to join the rest of the team and the coach frowned at them, “Lacrosse time not flirting time.”

“Sir, yes sir.”

***

“It was the twins.”

“Um, hi.” Stiles said as he set his backpack down near the stairs. “And I thought that we had already established that.”

Peter shrugged, “I suppose but my nephew thought it best to check for himself.”

“And they were there?” Stiles questioned over his shoulder as he made for the kitchen and an ice-cold soda. “Seems sort of stupid.”

He handed one of the cans that he had pulled out of the fridge to the older man before sitting at the kitchen table. Peter took it with a slight frown of confusion but popped it open and followed suit sitting directly across from him. “He caught their scents.”

“And he knows their scents how? I thought he had only met them briefly.”

“He doesn’t.” Peter rolled his eyes at Stiles and took a sip, “But unless there is another set of identical wolves around that smell distinctly of teenage hormones, pine cone, leather, and personalized Jo Malone cologne I would say that he has made an accurate identification.”

Stiles stifled a laugh, “Dude, they wore cologne to spy on other werewolves?” Talk about poor planning.

“No. Deucalion is the only one with enough balls to where such a distinctive scent into another alpha’s territory. He’s worn the same scent as long as I have known him. They likely picked it up from him.” He shrugged, “I will grant you that they were stupid not to realize that his scent was all over them in the first place but they are likely so used to it that they didn’t even notice. I did mention the teenage hormones, yes? I mean they are young still, wisdom comes with age and experience.”

“Right.” Stiles popped up from his seat to grab a bag of pretzels from the cabinet and dumping some into a bowl and placing it on the table before grabbing some mustard from the fridge. He sat back down and dipped one into the little pot. Peter frowned at him. “What?” He asked, mouth full causing the frown to deepen further. “You can have some too.”

“You dip pretzels into Grey Poupon?” He asked, incredulous, “You have Grey Poupon?”

“What? It’s tasty.” Stiles shrugged, “Whatever, back to what you were saying. The twins, not the cologne.”

“Well, the cologne is the actual issue at the moment so…” Peter told him taking a pretzel of his own and popping it into his mouth dry. His loss.

“Why?” Stiles asked. What was so important about the cologne?

“It means that Deucalion is here as well.”

“I kind of assumed that was a given.” Stiles admitted. “Was it not a given?”

“No, Mr. Stilinski, it was not a given. As far we know the Alpha pack usually sends a couple of members in advance to scout the area and give themselves an advantage. That Duke is already here means one of two things, either he is underestimating us or he is severely overestimating us.”

“Well, those are overwhelmingly different things, aren’t they?”

“They are. Which is worrying to say the least.”

“Okay, so he either thinks that pack is really weak or really strong, we can work with that.”

“A few days ago I would have said that it was his underestimating us that was the issue but I fear that may have changed, fast, when they arrived to find Fae working with us and then even further when they realized that the territory is no longer ours but that of a Warlock. As your cousin said, the only way to protect us from those that would think us too strong was to make ourselves strong to the point that no one would try to challenge us. Hence the alliances.”

“Right, and…” Stiles had a feeling he knew where this was going and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“So we have gone, in both the eyes of the Alpha pack and the eyes of the other packs, from a potential threat to an absolute challenger against the Alpha pack. Granted, news of the treaties haven’t spread yet but the Alphas have been here so they already know. Derek has gone from a potential addition to the pack to a threat to their status as the most powerful pack on the continent. You see the issue.”

He sure did.

“But we aren’t. I mean, surely they will realize that quickly, right?”

“Maybe, but would that save us or put us in even further danger?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe what they will realize is that we are a pack with the connections and the potential to be the most powerful pack on the continent and no idea how to use that power for our own benefit. A bunch of hapless children with no real structure and no one to take the reins who are, for lack of a better phrase, ripe for the plucking.”

That didn’t sound good.

“Deucalion is likely to try and simply absorb the pack and our ties into the Alpha pack. Or at least, take over as alpha and abandon his current sycophants to rot out on their own.”

“He’s going to try and kill Derek.” Stiles muttered. “He’s going to try to kill Derek.” Electricity sizzled over Stiles skin and he felt himself tense up. Someone was trying to disturb his pack on his territory. Derek was his Alpha, if Deucalion touched a hair on his fucking head there would be hell to pay.

Stiles stopped suddenly and jerked his head around wildly realizing that Peter was here and decidedly not with his ‘buddy’. “Where is he? Where is Derek, so help me Hale if you left him alone—“

“I’m not such a fool.” Peter said with a sigh. “He is with your cousin and Father.”

“And why aren’t you still there?” Stiles snapped.

“I wasn’t in the first place.” He sighed, “If anyone needs a lecture about the ‘buddy system’ it is your darling Derek. He snuck out while I was in the bathroom.” He paused, “Well, not snuck precisely Erica and Boyd came to retrieve him, he was not alone.”

That explained Boyd’s absence from Practice earlier.

He started to speak before cutting his own thoughts off abruptly, “Wait, hold on, he left you alone?! I’m going to punch him!”

Peter looked at him surprised, “As I said, he was not alone.”

“Not the point, Corpse Snide, He is your buddy as much as you are his, he should not have let you alone. What the fuck was he thinking?” He frowned, “Wait, you came here alone?”

“Yes.”

Stiles blinked, everyone was out today, he was the first one home. “Did you break into my house?”

Peter held up the lock picking kit from the night with the trunks. “You should get better locks, it was almost too easy.”

Stiles sighed, “Of course you did, who am I kidding?” He glared at the older man and snatched the bowl of pretzels away as Peter tried to take another, “No pretzels for the break-and-enter-ers.” He snapped.

“Fairly certain that that isn’t a word.”

“Felon, then.”

“I think that that only applies if one is charged.”

“Fuck you, generally bad person.”

“Nice.” Peter snickered and smirked at him unapologetically, “Hardly the worst crime I have committed. Far from the worst thing I have been called.” He grabbed the bowl back and munched on a few pretzels smugly.  

“I hate you.” Stiles sighed heavily, “Just putting that one out there.”

“Noted.”

“Uh, hello Peter, Stiles.” Stiles nodded weakly at his father as he entered the room.

“Sup.”

“What is Peter doing here?”

“He broke in.”

“Right.”

“Sadly, my ‘buddy’ abandoned me to come see your little sinkhole so I thought being alone here, at the center of all things Stiles' territory, was better than being alone in our out-of town apartment that is likely not on your watch list. Just a theory, mind.”

“Wait, your apartment isn’t in the territory?”

“Ours? Sure. Yours, not so much, at least as far as we can tell given the sheer amount of grifters and weirdos living in our building. I feel like you would have noticed by now. I am fairly certain that the Alpha’s are holed up in the area as well.”

“And you are living there?!” Stiles barked. “You have Isaac living there? Are you guys nuts? What is wrong with you people?”

“It cost a lot of money to break a lease and there is nothing within the town that is both reasonably priced and not a hell-hole.”

“Oh my God.” Stiles flailed and stared at his Dad seeking back up.

The Sheriff shrugged, “He’s not wrong. Most of the half-way decent options are pretty pricey.”

“Exactly, I am not about fork over exorbitant amounts of money for someplace where I am not even allowed to paint the walls.” Peter said.

“Okay, yeah, but…” Stiles had no idea how to put it tactfully but screw it, this was Peter, what did he care. “Aren’t you guys rich?”

“Stiles!”

“What? I mean, Hale house wasn’t exactly a shack in the woods, you know?”

“Oh my God.” His father groaned weakly.

Peter laughed, “No, he isn’t wrong, We aren’t exactly poverty stricken. Close at the moment but...”

“What?”

“Well, there is the little matter that I am supposed to be missing and probably dead and that Derek can’t find Laura’s will anywhere so our funds are somewhat tied up at the moment, at least the liquid ones.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

“But she did have a will?”

“Yes, that much was filed with her lawyer in New York but apparently she had it made in Beacon Hills but the Lawyer closed up shop at some point in the last six years. That is what is holding things up, we have documentation of a will but can’t produce it. She had to have a copy somewhere but well, my nephew was apparently less than attentive when she told him what to do if anything happened to her.”

“No, I listened. It just wasn’t where she said it would be.” Derek said as he, Erica, and Boyd came in. “I know she had multiple copies though, I need to check the vault but with the Alpha’s nearby that seems like a bad idea.”

“Agreed.”

“Who was the lawyer?” Stiles’ dad asked, “Maybe I can get ahold of them and get a copy for you.”

“I have it written down at home.” Derek said, “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

“Okay, good.” Sties said, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you are living out of the territory and potentially as neighbors to the people that want to kill you!”

“You told him that?” Derek frowned at Peter.

“Oh, was I supposed to not tell him?”

Derek growled, eyes flashing and fangs bared, “No, you weren’t supposed to tell him, Peter. I told you I would figure it out myself.”

Peter shrugged at him, “I find that you are a little slow for my liking. Mr. Stilinski will be far more efficient at getting the task done.”

Stiles was only half listening at this point his mind running through any and all options for getting those three out of their lease and into his territory where he could actually feel if  there was an issue.

Ari spoke up, “If the issue is that his territory doesn’t cover the area we could just expand his territory.”

Peter and Derek turned to stare at him, “What?”

He laughed, “He’s not like a wolf, no conquering necessary. He can just take whatever territory he wants as long as it doesn’t belong to another Warlock. He should, at the least, make sure that the entirety of the pack's territory is within his own.”

“Okay,” Stiles said, “How do I do that?”

“Well, you could spend some time in the outer edges of the territory, mark some landmarks in your mind, set up your boundaries.”

“That isn’t going to be easy given the circumstances. He can hardly trek across such a large piece of land while we have alphas after us.” Peter commented.

“No, it would be dangerous and with the stress he is already under it might not take correctly.”

“Well then,” Derek sneered, “Thanks for that useless suggestion.”

“Let me finish, brat.” Ari glared at him, “I can call someone that can try to connect you and Stiles temporarily so you can transfer the landmarks he needs into his mind for him. It may take a few days though.”

“How do you know we can trust them? We are already having fae issues as well as alpha issues, the last thing we need is someone messing with our minds.”

“True.” Ari frowned, “I’m sure I can find someone though.”

“No need.” Peter said with a nod, “If that will work Derek can do it himself.”

“What?” Stiles and Derek looked at him simultaneously.

Peter glared at his nephew, “Did you actually plug your ears during lessons?”

“No. I know what you are referring to, I just don’t know how to do it.” He glanced at Peter and then at Stiles, skeptically, “I mean would it even work on a non-were?”

“It should. You could at least try.”

Stiles’ eyes darted back and forth between them and then over to his cousin, “Do you have any idea what they are talking about?”

“An expert on all things Werewolf I am not. Sorry.”

“It’s something that only Alphas can do, they can sink their claws right into the brainstem and push their memories into the other as well as see inside the other’s mind.” Peter explained.

“SINK YOUR WHAT INTO WHERE?!!!!” Stiles shrieked.

That sounded dirtier than he had intended.

What the Fuck was wrong with werewolves?

“Claws; brainstem. Keep up Stiles.” Erica snarked though even she looked a bit queasy at the thought.

“No way!” He shook his frantically. “That shit sounds like it would hurt.”

“You barely feel it.” Peter frowned, “No more than a vaccine.”

“How do you even know that? You are werewolves, you don’t get sick, what vaccines?”

Both Wolves glanced away and refused to meet any of their eyes, “Doesn’t mean we don’t need shots.” Derek muttered.

“Like what?! Anti-rabies? Distemper?” Stiles snapped.

Oh.

Oh. God.

He took in the slight flush on their faces and felt his own mouth gape open.

“You are kidding me, right?” Erica was staring at them wide-eyed. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh my god.” Stiles huffed out a laugh, “You get all the dog jokes from now on, all of them. I don’t even care, Distemper? Rabies?” He started to giggle wildly, “This is freaking gold.”

Ari was obviously trying to hold back his own laugh and Stiles’ dad had turned away to make a pot of coffee but the shaking of his shoulders gave him away. Erica and Boyd looked horrified.

“Wait, wait, we have to get dog shots!” Erica barked, “Dude, this was not in the brochure!”

Derek sighed heavily, “No, you’re okay. Only baby born wolves need them. It helps until puberty and the bulk of our power comes in. It’s part of the reason weres don’t normally turn anyone younger than 13.”

“You are never living this down, I hope you know.” Stiles snickered, suddenly feeling much better about life in general.

It was a good day.

“Shut up.” Derek grumbled.

Ari shook his head, “Moving on, you think that this will work on non-wolves?”

“I don’t see why not.” Peter shrugged, “I mean trying it on a normal human, but on a Fae? You all heal just as fast, it shouldn’t hurt him.”

“I am not comfortable with idea of Sourwolf sticking his claws into my brain, if anyone actually care about my feelings.” Stiles said.

“Stiles, it won’t hurt to give it a try.” Ari said.

“It won’t—It won’t hurt to try?!” He squawked, “He want to stick his claws into my brain! What part of that doesn’t sound like potential danger? And pain? Definitely potential pain!”

“You’ll heal.” Ari said.

Stiles slumped, “Ugh, fine. Lets just get this done then, shall we?”

“Like I was saying, I have never done it, I don’t actually know how.”

“I’ll guide your hand.” Peter said, “I saw, and felt, Talia do it enough times.”

“Maybe if you had stopped sneaking out every five minutes mom wouldn’t have felt the need to hack into your brain every time you came just to make sure you hadn’t done anything stupid.” Derek snapped at him.

Peter rolled his eyes, “Yes, yes, whatever you say.”

Stiles glanced around as he had a sudden thought, “We shouldn’t do this here.”

“Why?”

“Because, if the Alpha pack do live near you and happen to be within the territory I am about to claim I will probably blow shit up and think I have destroyed enough of our property for a while.”

Peter choked on a laugh, “True. Where then?”

“Backyard?” Stiles’ dad suggested.

“And create that new inground pool you’ve been thinking about?”

“Point.”

“Hale house.” Derek said, “It’s not like you could do much more destruction there.”

Stiles stared at him, “Is that…Are you sure?”

He nodded gruffly. “Makes sense.”

Stiles nodded, deciding not to push the topic.

Hale house it was.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

“Everyone needs to back up by at least three big ass steps.” Stiles grumbled. “I don’t exactly have the best aim in case something goes wrong. Bad enough Sour and Dour have to be here.”

Ari nodded at him and ushered the rest of them back toward the edge of the woods. Stiles glanced up at Peter and Derek, “If anything goes wrong, bolt.”

“Not that easy.” Derek said.

Stiles narrowed his eyes at him and then looked at Peter, “If something goes wrong, yank his fucking claws out of my skull and run.”

Peter nodded at him curtly. “Ready?”

“Sure. Whatever.”

“Close your eyes.” Peter said and Stiles obeyed. “On the count of three.”

Stiles nodded sharply and prepared himself.

“Three.”

Before he could even flinch at Peter’s cheat there was a sharp pinch akin to a needle jab and then colors swirled in front of his eyes.

~Derek?~

~I don’t think you are supposed to be able to speak to me.~ The other man’s voice echoed around in his head.

~Let’s just call it a Fae thing.~

~Your head is freaking weird. How do you get anything done?~

~Screw you. How do I see into yours? That is why we are here.~

~Hold on.~ He said gruffly and then suddenly Stiles was considerably lower to the ground than usual and could see the edge of the woods.

He squinted trying to figure out where he was, certainly not at Hale house. Then he realized something, ~Dude, am I a wolf right now?~

~Yes. This is one of the times I patrolled the borders of the territory.~

~This is so coo—Oh my god, we are moving, we are moving!~

~Yes, Stiles. It would be sort of difficult to explore the territory if I stayed still.~

~Shut up. It feels really weird, you know.~

~Just shut up and find your landmarks.~

~Sir, Yes sir.~

As wolf Derek moved around his territory Stiles compiled a list of landmarks that he knew well. The territory was bigger than he had thought.

~That’s the apartment.~ Derek muttered as they carefully edged their way through the warehouse district.

Stiles noticed a slightly run down building in the distance. ~Okay. I know where that is.~

~Are you set then?~

~Yeah. Just, think hard about your territory.~ Stiles was pretty sure he knew exactly what to do.

~What?~

~Think hard.~ He snapped and tried to call up his power, thinking about his current borders. Expanding them outwards.

Further.

Further.

There—

Uh oh.

Stiles was snapped back to the real world as Derek’s claws were yanked out of his skull. His eyes snapped open in time to see  Peter and Derek scrambling away from him as a surge of power lashed out.

Stiles felt the world go black.

***

“Ugh.” He groaned and tried to swat away whatever was tapping on his face. “Stop it.”

“Wakey-wakey, little Warlock.”

Stiles groaned again.

Peter.

Why was it always Peter?

“Fuck you.”

“Sorry, I don’t do jailbait.”

Stiles jerked up and glared at him, “Ew, gross!”

“How are we feeling?”

“Disgusted.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Not what I meant.”

Stiles frowned but took a self-inventory, “Muzzy, mostly. But okay. How bad?”

“You owe me a pair of jeans.” He indicated his pant legs which now more closely resembled uneven cutoffs than actual pants.

“Ugh.” Stiles let his head loll back and stared at the sky, “Better than a pair of legs.”

“True.”

“Derek?”

“Fine.”

“Good.” He rolled his shoulders and noticed that there was something off about the area, “Um, whats up with the wall of shiny?”

“Good question. I got caught in the middle of it as it went up and it appears that I am the only one that could get through it.”

“Me then.”

“I would say so.”

“Should probably figure out how to get it down then.”

“It would help, yes.”

Stiles closed his eyes again and concentrated. He opened one eye and grinned as the wall fell, “Dude, I am getting good at this.”

“Don’t get too full of yourself.”

“Yeah, you’re one to talk.”

“And here I thought you were quite vehemently opposed to the comparison.”

“Grzegorz!” Ari knelt beside him hurriedly.

Stiles brush him off, “I’m fine. No worries, it worked. Also, I think the Alphas might be scrambling to find themselves a new home base.”

“They were in our territory then?” Peter said.

“I went further than just your borders. Cover the bases, you know?” He glanced at his dad, “You might be getting a call about a minor explosion in the warehouse district.”

The Sheriff sighed and nodded.

Stiles peered around the area carefully surveying the damage. Not nearly as bad as he had expected. Most of the patchy grass had been obliterated and a couple of overgrown shrubs had vanished but there were no giant holes in the ground. All in all, not bad.

He tried to get to his feet and stumbled, legs feeling like jello. Derek caught him under the arms and heaved him up. “You okay?”

“Fine.” He said, “Wobbly, but all good.” He grinned. “So, that whole being a wolf thing was kind of cool.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “The apartment all covered then?”

“Sure is.”

“Good.” He glanced a Peter, “Problem solved.”

“Mmhm. We’ll see.” Peter glanced at Stiles, “Any chance you know exactly where they were?”

“Yep.” He glared at them, “Remind me to punch you in the nose later,” He grumbled at Derek. “Across the street, second warehouse on the left. That’s a two minute walk for a crippled old woman, by the way. Choose better next time.”

“Whatever.” Derek said, “We’ll go check it out later. See if they left anything behind.”

“Most likely, everything.” Stiles said, “Not like they had warning.”

“All the more reason.” Derek said. “They might have left plans or something.”

Stiles nodded, that made sense.

“I’m going to head to the station, head it off at the pass. We don’t want anyone going looking over there before you look into it.” Stiles’s Dad said just as his phone rang. He picked up and held a finger to his lips warning them to stay quiet, “Sheriff.”

Stiles shifted closer to him trying to listen in.

“Yeah, uh-huh. No visible explosion? Just noise? Yeah, look. I’m close by. I’ll take a look. Call in once I see what’s up. Yeah, okay.” He ended the call and turned to them. “Okay, change of plans. Anyone that needs to see the warehouse, let’s move. I can stall for a little while but not much.”

Derek nodded and he and Peter followed Stiles’ dad to his patrol car. Stiles followed after them. Ari caught his arm, “Where do you think you’re going? You need to rest.”

“Later.” He said brushing his cousin off. “I need to see something there.”

“Grzegorz.” He started.

“My territory, Ari. Not going to stop me.”

Ari sighed. “Fine. Stick close to Peter.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I’ll stay with one of them.”

“No, Peter.” Ari stressed. “If one of the Alpha’s comes back Derek need to be able to fight. Stick to the zombie like glue.” He looked at Peter, “Do not let him out of your sight, wolf.”

Peter saluted him sarcastically. “Aye, aye, mon Capitan.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and shooed him over to the other side of the car, “Move it.” He got into the car and shut the door. “Onward.” He said imperiously to his father who chuckled and started the car.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally blanked on yesterday being thursday. I thought it was wednesday for some reason. Apologies.

“Gloves, please.” Stiles’ dad said handing over a box of latex gloves. “No need to have anyone wrongly, or rightly, accused of any more crimes.”

Stiles snagged a pair and slipped them on. “Alrighty then, let’s get investigating.” He tugged at the side door which opened with ease. His dad looked at him. “What? Not like they stopped to lock up behind them.”

“How did you know that was where they left from?” Derek asked.

“Closest exit to the edge of the territory. Fastest exit point.” Peter told him as he followed Stiles inside. He paused, “You sure they even got out?”

Stiles stared blankly at the mess in front of him. “Yeah.” He whispered, “They did. I felt them leave the territory…Jesus.”

It honestly looked like a bomb had gone off in the warehouse. Giant chunks of the concrete floors were overturned, jagged edges and piles of rubble littered the ground. There were massive chunks of the ground that had just disappeared as well. It didn’t look like any of the other areas where the alphas had tried to trespass. “Something is wrong.” He muttered.

“I’ll say.” Peter muttered, “I’m quite certain the Stalagmites are new.”

“So you were using sorcery to defend as well.” Derek said, “That is what the creation stuff is, isn’t it?”

“Yeah but I’ve never used both at the same time. I didn’t think I could.”

“Apparently you can.”

“How the hell are we going to explain this to the cops?”

“Good question.” His dad said. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about it right now, let’s just get what we can out of the area.”

“What hasn’t been reduced to dust you mean.” Peter said.

“Shut up.” Stiles growled and stormed off.

“Be careful!” His dad called after him.

Stiles carefully made his way to the other side of the large room, ducking under large beams and dodging jagged bits of rock. The place was a mess. He noticed a smear of blood on one of the rock juts. “I think I got one of them!” He called, “I have blood over here.”

“Minor wound, probably already healed.” Peter told him as he examined the smear. He touched it softly and then sniffed at his fingers.

“God, please don’t lick it.”

“This coming from the boy with a vampire cousin.”

“Sanguine.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “Does it matter? Anyways, it’s female. You caught Kali.”

“How can you tell?”

“Low iron count for starters.”

“Huh?”

“It’s her time of the month. And I don’t mean the full moon.”

“Oh.”

“Great time to piss her off.” Peter snickered.

“Yeah, because I totally knew.” Stiles muttered and edged further in finding another smear, “This her too?”

Peter checked it, “No. One of the males. Not Duke, though. No cologne.”

“Why would there be cologne in his blood?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing but cologne ran through his veins, but I meant that I don’t smell his cologne over here.”

Right, that made sense.

“He was over here.” Derek called from across the room. “No blood but it reeks of patchouli.” He sneezed violently, “How does he even breathe?”

Stiles watched as his dad kicked over a rock, “He wasn’t wearing it, the bottle got caught in the crossfire. I have broken glass…God, that does reek.” He fanned in front of his face. “I thought you people were supposed to have super-senses, what is he trying to do, completely destroy his packs’ sense of smell?”

Peter shrugged, “I always thought it was odd.” He shifted a pile of magazines and grinned, “I have a laptop.”

“Looks like Deucalion took his with him though.” Derek said, voice slightly muffled from holding his nose. “I have his adapter cord though.”

Stiles picked up the magazines that Peter had moved aside, “So, she’s a fan of vogue and celebrity gossip.” He muttered as he flipped through the stack of fashion and gossip rags. “Not necessarily what I expected of a She-alpha.”

“I’m sure if you keep digging you’ll find a copy of claws and fangs monthly.” Peter sassed, “What exactly did you expect of a She-wolf alpha? Miss Reyes is quite the fashionista now is she not?”

“I guess. But she was turned.”

“As was Kali, not that that holds any bearing.”

“She was?” Stiles stared at the wolf. “Really?”

“Yes, though it seems that she was raised among wolves in her pack. As far as I understand she became terminally ill as a teen and was turned in order to keep her alive.”

Just as he was about to speak Stiles felt a shudder down his spine. At first he tensed thinking that he was feeling the alpha pack trying to breach his borders again but relaxed as the presence backed off nearly the second it touched the border. “Someone just tried to breach again.” He told Peter who was looking at him warily. “They backed off immediately though.” Which was weird. The alpha pack didn’t usually back off until Stiles’ power lashed out at them. Whoever it was this time could sense the border on their own.

Stiles wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

His Dad’s phone rang out loudly and Stiles watched as he picked it up and listened for a moment. “Stiles!” He called, “You need to go.”

“What? Why?” He responded as he jogged closer.

“Ryan will be picking you up in two minutes to take you to the border of the territory, you tutor has arrived.”

That explained it.

“We’ll keep looking.” Derek assured as Stiles glanced around the room. “Anything we find we will take back to your house.”

Stiles nodded and went outside just as his jeep pulled in with a screech. Ryan gestured him over and he waved her out of the driver’s seat. She rolled her eyes and hopped over to the passenger side, “Hello to you to. Do you even know where we are going?”

Strangely enough he knew exactly where he was going. “He showed up a little early.”

“Yeah, well he wasn’t supposed to hit the border but apparently that has moved since this morning.”

Oh, right.

“He felt the border and backed off before I could even react.” Stiles told her as he turned the car.

“I should hope so.” She joked, “Wouldn’t be much of a Warlock if he couldn’t figure out where the danger zone is.” She sighed suddenly, “Look, I’m not going to be a lot of help here. He’s going to make me nervous and I am positive the same will happen to him. Warlocks are not pleasant to be around for sorcerers.”

Stiles nodded, “Figured as much. We’ll figure something out but eventually you three are going to have to learn to be around each other.” He told her, including Lennon as well. “You don’t have to like each other but you will have to tolerate each other’s presence. I need training in both.” He paused, “I used both when I lashed out against the alpha’s living in the warehouse. At the same time. It’s the first time it has happened.”

She frowned. “I didn’t think that it could.” She stared out the window thoughtfully, “We’ll figure it out, kid.”

They drove for a few more minutes in silence before her gaze narrowed, focusing in on a car pulled to the side of the road just outside of the border. A young man leaned against the trunk, well out of the range of the border. He straightened as he saw them. Stiles pulled the jeep over to mirror the other’s on his side of the border. Ryan hopped out and waited for him to make his way around to meet her.

“You need to cross to him.” She muttered, “I’ll stay on this side. You’ll need to invite him to cross once you feel comfortable.”

Stiles nodded, a little nervous, and made his way toward the stranger.

The other teen offered his hand, “Raj Prasad.”

“Stiles.” He offered as he shook the other’s hand. The other teen, for he could be no more than a couple of years older than Stiles, smiled.

“I appreciate that, I was given your name and could not manage to pronounce it no matter how hard I tried.”

Stiles laughed, “No worries, I only have a fifty-fifty shot of getting it right myself. Everyone calls me Stiles.” He paused, “Except my eldest cousin.”

“I apologize for the breach of conduct.” He nodded toward the border, “I was given to understand that your border was several more miles in.”

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck, abashed, “Sorry, not your fault. There was an issue and I had to expand my territory not even an hour ago. I forgot that you were coming.”

“Just here?” Raj glanced around.

“No, the border all the way around has expanded by a few miles.” Stiles hesitated unsure of what the other had been told about his predicament.

“Further issues with the cursed?” Raj asked.

“Yes, turns out that the Alpha pack we are dealing with had moved in across from some of our pack. I had to expand my borders to match those of the were pack in my territory.”

Raj shrugged, “More restraint than most of us would have at first. You are young to have territory and there is no other Warlock with claim extending further than LA. You have the first claim right up through Washington, Oregon, and a good chunk of Canada.”

Stiles sort of gaped at him, “Dude, I’m sixteen. What the hell would I do with that much territory?”

Raj laughed, “Like I said, more restraint than most of our kind.” He looked around, “So, I was planning to stay at a motel just outside your border but it appears that you have swallowed it up. Ideas?”

“You can stay there still.” Stiles told him, though he did feel a bit nervous having another Warlock on his territory he figured it was better safe than sorry. Besides, he would know if something went wrong within his territory, if the other was outside it Stiles wouldn’t be able to tell until it was too late.

Raj frowned at him, “Are you sure? I saw another hotel ten miles back that way.” He indicated over his shoulder down the road that he had come. “You don’t know me, it would be a bit weird if you trusted me.”

“I don’t.” Stiles admitted. “But if you do anything stupid on my land at least I know that I will know and can lash out at you immediately.”

Raj chuckled, “Spoken like a truly territorial man.” He nodded. “Sounds good. Then I’ll head to the motel to check in.”

Stiles nodded, eyes narrowed, and then tossed his keys back over the border to Ryan. He slipped into the other Warlocks passenger seat without a word startling a laugh out of him again. “You are adorable. I’m guessing that you’ll be sticking by me for a while?”

Stiles didn’t bother to respond. Like he was going to let a stranger roam around his territory willy-nilly.

That would be stupid.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it was a much busier month than originally anticipated and I have not had time to do anything with writing. Things are finally starting to back down (at least on a temporary basis) so hopefully this won't happen again. I won't guarantee weekly postings but I will be trying to get them through, now on Saturdays (easier now that I am back in school). Regardless, here is your chapter-Enjoy!

Stiles watched Raj unpack his suitcase like a hawk.

“I hate living out of suitcases, especially since I have no idea how long I am going to be here.” He told him as he settled a stack of t-shirts in one of the drawers. “Luckily the council is footing the costs of accommodations for me.”

“How old are you?” Stiles asked.

“19.” Raj called over his shoulder as he brought a pile of cosmetics into the bathroom. “Been training down in Dallas.”

“Are you from Texas?”

“Me? No. New York. Warlocks don’t train within their families, too much tension.”

“Are you going back once your training is done?”

“Maybe, probably not. There are already three territory conflicts going on up there, I’d probably end up with my territory being a refrigerator box under a bridge if I want to stay.”

“Oh.” Stiles wondered what knowing that you can’t really stay near your family was like. He couldn’t imagine leaving his family behind.

Raj smiled softly, obviously noticing Stiles frown. “Hey, kid, I knew it was going to happen from the time I was born. It’s normal for Warlocks. We keep in contact and visit but we need our own space.”

“Sorry, just, I can’t imagine it.”

“I’ll bet. You Dola are always very clan oriented. It’s unusual for you to present as such a territorial type of Fae. I’m sure your little sorceress friend told you that a Warlock Dola hasn’t happened in a very, very long time. Even other types of fae that have distinct territories are a rarity. I have to say, the cursed pack on your land got real lucky that you turned out to be a Warlock. We are more likely to embrace other preters in our territory than most others. Though, even for a warlock, you are accepting, you have a Druid on your land.”

“Deaton. He’s the vet. And the former Hale Emmisary.” Stiles said noticing the look of distaste on Raj’s face. “Is that a problem?”

“How can you stand to be around him? I assume it is a him.”

“Alan Deaton, yeah.” He shrugged, “Sparingly. Not the biggest fan of the guy but he’s been good to Scott.” He paused, “Scott’s my best friend, one of the Betas. Derek, the alpha’s, second.”

“I can’t imagine he likes you all that much either. Generally speaking I’d rather bang a sorceress than be in the same room as a Druid.” He gagged. “All the one with nature bullshit doesn’t get to you?”

Stiles choked on a laugh, “He’s not that forthcoming with his druidishness. Mostly we use him to procure wolfsbane and mountain ash and to get our fix of overly cryptic information on our current adversary.”

“You got lucky then, Most of the Druids I have come across have leaned toward the vegan/crossfit end of the spectrum.”

Stiles grinned, “First rule of veganism, you never shut up about veganism.”

Raj nodded and sat on the bed facing him. “We should try to get down to some business here. Like I said, I’m still in training myself so I can only teach you the basics but honestly? A lot of this stuff is instinctual.”

“I will be happy if you can stop me from vanishing expensive sports equipment every time someone pisses me off.”

“That part sucks, doesn’t it? When I presented I was pissed at my sister and hasta la vista laptop.” Raj said, “Luckily that is an easy fix.”

“That sucks.” Stiles said. “I love me an easy fix, lay it on me.”

Raj smiled sheepishly, “How do you feel about meditating?”

“Ugh.”

***

They spent an hour meditating.

Or, well, Raj spent an hour meditating and Stiles spent an hour trying to meditate and failing miserably.

Raj opened one eye and peered at him curiously, “So, this is clearly not working for you.”

“Clearly.” Stiles groused.

Raj frowned, “You’re jittery.”

“ADHD.” Stiles said, “Well, the Dola equivalent.”

“Right.” He nodded and stood up. He reached out a hand to help Stiles to his feet. “Clearly you are not meant for sitting still and thinking calm, happy thoughts.”

Stiles sighed. “Not really my forte, no.”

Raj looked at his frustrated expression and offered him a smile, “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. If nothing else I can help contain your powers for now. I just need to get to know you and your unique circumstances. If I have to I’ll call my Master for advice.”

Stiles nodded weakly. He should have known it wouldn’t be so easy.

“Look, you are under more stress than most of us are when we present, you already have claimed land, and let’s just face it shit is going down all over the place for Fae. It’s not your fault and if it doesn’t work, something else will.”

Stiles returned his smile. “Yeah, okay.”

“Why don’t we head out? I should introduce myself to your little pack so they don’t mistake me for a threat.”

“Word to the wise? Don’t call them little and don’t refer to them as mine, Derek will not take kindly to it.”

“Noted.”

They left the motel and headed to Raj’s car. “You drove here?”

“Yes, had to if I wanted a car. Can’t rent one until you are 21. Granted I definitely drove through a portal to get to Cali but I drove the rest of the way on my own.”

Stiles nodded.

They drove back to his house humming along to the radio and not really talking. Stiles still felt a little off around Raj, like he couldn’t fully relax around him. He wondered if that was why he had been unable to meditate earlier. Stiles noticed that his jeep had been parked exactly as he had left it when he had come home from school earlier. Ryan was good, it looked like it hadn’t moved at all.

As Raj parked Stiles saw the shades in the living room window shift subtly and knew that they would be greeted by at least one of the wolves at the door. Stiles led Raj up the walk and the door opened before they even reached it to reveal Derek and Scott. The former glowering intimidatingly and the latter looking much like a nervous puppy waiting for his master to return home.

“Raj, Derek and Scott. Derek and Scott, Raj.” Stiles introduced him. Raj offered a small smile and nod of greeting but did not offer his hand to either which, Stiles privately thought, was for the best as Derek looked like he was more likely to bite it off then shake it.

“You’re the baby Warlock then?” the alpha asked and Stiles winced a little. If anyone was the baby Warlock it was him, not Raj, and he couldn’t imagine the other would take the implication well.

He was surprised, and mildly impressed, when the only indication of his annoyance was a slight tensing of his shoulders.  Raj’s smile never left his face. “I am here to help him with basic training, yes.”

Derek glared at Stiles and turned walking away, back into the living room. Scott glanced after him, frowning before turning back to them, “Sorry about him, He’s been weird since I got here.” He offered his hand to Raj this time, “Scott McCall.”

“Raj Prasad. He’s your alpha I presume.”

“That would be him. Mr. McScowl himself.” Stiles joked. “Seriously, don’t worry about him. He just has a generally bad attitude.” He emphasized the last part making sure that the grump in question could hear him. Not that he needed to, werewolf senses and all.

He led Raj into the living room noticing that only Derek, now sitting in a favored brooding position on one the armchairs, and Peter, sitting on the sofa with the laptop that they had found at the warehouse on his lap, were present. He nodded his acknowledgement to the older man and turned to Scott, “Where is everyone?”

“Your Dad had to go to the station, he should be back soon though, and Ari, Ryan, Laramie, and Lennon are all outside. I don’t know where Val, Iggy, and Matt are.”

“They were not here when we arrived.” Peter added.

“And I think you Gramma and Aunt are still out shopping.” Scott finished.

Stiles frowned, “Still?” They had already been gone when he had come home from school so they had to have been gone at least four hours. That was an awfully long time for a grocery run.

Scott shrugged at him but looked concerned as well. “Ari said that he had talked to his mom an hour ago, they ended up having lunch out and were just getting to the store.”

They should be home soon then. He’d give them half an hour before he started really freaking out. “Okay.” He turned to Raj, “Want something to drink?”

“Water?”

“On it.” Raj sat quietly on the other end of the couch from Peter and watched Derek who stared right back at him. Stiles moved to the kitchen with Scott tagging along after him. “What the hell is wrong with McBroodypants over there? Even he is not usually this hostile.”

“I have no clue. Like I said he was all crabby when I got here, Peter hasn’t said a word to him either.”

That wasn’t entirely unusual. The two barely tolerated each other’s presence to begin with Stiles did not understand how they managed to live together without him getting a call about cleaning up a crime scene. Peter walked in a moment later.

“It is becoming exceedingly uncomfortable in there so if you wouldn’t mind hurrying up.” He muttered to Stiles as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. “My nephew is just angry that I wouldn’t let him mess with the cellphone, one of the twins’ we think, that we found.”

“Why not?” Scott asked, “Wouldn’t it be faster if you were both looking?”

“Have you ever actually watched him try to work his own cellphone? My luck, he would manage to wipe the entire thing before I got a chance to see it. The man is a total Luddite.”

Stiles let out a snort. “Is he? Good to know, I always wondered why I ended up looking up stupid shit that anyone could find on google for him.”

“He hates computers, the internet, and anything remotely more technological than a tv remote. I don’t know how he has survived this long.”

“That is hilarious and all but doesn’t explain why he is so pissy with Raj.”

“Oh, that is obvious. Doesn’t trust him, and particularly not with you.”

“What?”

Peter scoffed, “He doesn’t like the idea of you being alone with this unknown. Not hard to grasp.”

“He’s fine with Ryan helping me.”

“She isn’t a territory threat.”

“And Raj is?”

Stiles realized that was a stupid thing to ask before it had even finished leaving his mouth. Hadn’t he been feeling the same way since Raj had arrived? He was a threat, technically, but a necessary one. He was a Warlock without a territory and was being allowed to remain on claimed land. Stiles and Derek shared territory, of course they both felt the threat.

“Right, sorry, that was stupid.”

Peter nodded, “He’ll get used to him eventually but don’t expect him to welcome the interloper. Also expect him to be keeping a sharp eye on him.”

Stiles nodded, “I was actually going to ask him to anyways. You too. I have school, obviously, and I like the idea of a stranger being given free rein of my territory about as much as he does.”

“He won’t move an inch without us knowing.” Peter promised. “Good to see that you aren’t being stupid about this.”

Stiles nodded and the three of them returned to the living room with drinks. Stiles handed Raj a water bottle before having a seat on the floor in front of Peter’s temporary work station. He grabs the iPhone that was lying on the table and switched it on. Code protected.

He frowned switching it off again and then grinned. “Messy boy.” He said switching it back on a typing the four numbers that had clear smudges over them. Failed. He paused and grabbed a piece of paper and pen and scribbled down a quick tree of potential codes and crossing out the first. He passed it over the table to Peter who scanned it and tapped one of the options.

“Idiots, spells wolf.”

Nice.

“Still not as bad as double Allison over here.” Peter glanced at Scott who blushed.

“Oh my God. I changed it, okay?”

“Just as long as you didn’t change one of them to Argent or McCall.” Stiles said as he tapped the new code in and chuckled as the home screen came up.

“Oh, you have to be kidding me.” Peter snapped causing Stiles to look up and see Scott blushing.

“Oh come on, dude.” He whined, “What is wrong with you?”

“Shut up.” Scott muttered.

Stiles shook his head at his friend. He glanced back at the phone in his hand and laughed, “Nice.” He showed the screen to Scott who giggled as well. Peter raised an eyebrow at them and Stiles grinned and flipped the phone around for him to see the wallpaper, twin wolves howling at a full moon.

He groaned, “Some people just don’t deserve to be wolves.” He shook his head and looked pointedly back down at the laptop in his hands.

“Find anything good on there?” Stiles asked as he accessed the email app on the phone.

“I’m guessing that anything useful would have been stored on Duke’s laptop. Which is likely why they took the time to grab it and risked falling in the crossfire.” He said, “Her internet history is clean, no interesting documents. I did find a picture of her and Ennis which I had already assumed was one of Deucalion’s alphas. Good to have confirmation though.”

Stiles nodded and scanned through the inbox, spam, and trash folders of the phone looking for anything they could use. He sighed, “Email is a no go. Either they didn’t communicate with it or Tweedle Dum was at least smart enough not to leave access to that stuff on his phone.” He opened up the gallery and scanned through the pictures on the phone, “Well, at least we will know who to look for.” He showed Peter and Scott the shot of the twins. Derek stalked over silently and took the device from him. Stiles balked, “Please don’t kill it, I haven’t finished looking yet.”

“Shut up. Can you send it to the pack?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.” Stiles took the phone back and email the picture to the email account he used to control spam before accessing his own phone and texting it to everyone, typing ‘Stay sharp’ underneath. “Done.” He said even as both Peter and Scott’s phones beeped with the incoming message. The slight jerk for Derek told him that the other man’s phone must have been on vibrate.

Stiles phone buzzed sharply in his hands before blasting out the tune for an incoming call, he glanced down and frowned, “Danny.”  He answered it quickly, “Hey man, what’s up?”

“Stiles, are you sure that is them?” Danny asked his tone rushed and nervous. He was a little muffled as if he was trying to speak as lowly as possible. Stiles could barely hear him over the clattering, banging, and voices in the background.

“Yeah, we found one of their phones.” He said as he switched the phone to speaker. “Why?”

“I may or may not be on a date with one.” Danny snapped.

“What?!” Scott squawked. “Danny!”

“It’s not like I knew, McCall.”

“Still!” Scott huffed.

“Where is Jackson?” Stiles asked.

“Not here, obviously.” Danny told him, “I am not taking him on dates with me too.”

“Danny,” Stiles groaned, “I thought you were smarter than this.”

“Shut up Stilinski, now is not the time.”

“Are you out of range?” Peter asked.

“Huh?”

“Can he hear you?” The ‘dimwit’ was implied.

“No, I’m standing by the kitchen doors and there is a lot of noise coming from inside.”

“That doesn’t mean anything so I’ll make this fast.” Peter snapped, “We’re are on the way. Act as normally as possible. And yes, that means you need to return to him. He won’t attack you in public; that would be stupid.”

“Okay.” Danny muttered.

“Danny, where are you?” Stiles asked, they had to be outside of the territory. He and Danny would be having words later.

Words.

“The Terrace, over in Pineview. I can’t remember the address.”

“The Mediterranean place across from the steakhouse?” Peter asked.

“Yeah.”

“I know the one. Now go. We’ll be fifteen minutes, tops.”

“Yeah…Hurry.” Danny hung up the phone.

Ryan poked her head in the door, “What’s up?”

“Danny is currently on a date with one of the alpha twins.” Scott told her nervously.

Her eyes widened, “Seriously?”

Stiles nodded, “We have to go get him out of there.” He told her and then nodded toward Raj, “Watch him for me?”

Raj frowned and looked like he wanted to protest but Stiles cut him off, “You’re in my territory, you didn’t think I was actually going to let you go around without a babysitter?”

He sighed and nodded, “Whatever, but does it have to be the Sorceress?”

“Be glad, normally it’s going to be Peter and Derek.” This news made him frown further.

“Do you need help?” Ari asked as he entered the room, Laramie and Lennon following behind him.

Peter answered him, “Three is already a risk, we want to get him out of there without confrontation if possible.”

“Three?” Scott questioned confused.

“Derek, Stiles, and I will go. You stay here and contact the rest of the pack, check in, get them here. But do not tell them what’s happening.”

“Why?”

“Because the last thing we need is no one’s favorite giant iguana going berserk on us.” Stiles said bluntly.

Scott nodded but looked a little skeptical, “Maybe Stiles should stay too.”

“No.” “He is necessary.” Derek and Peter answered him at the same time.

Scott frowned but let them go.

“What is the plan?” Stiles asked as he jumped into Peter’s truck. “Also, how is your license still good?”

“Really? Now?” Peter said as he pulled out of the driveway. “I was comatose, not dead.” He paused, “Legally at least. They don’t take away people’s licenses while they are comatose. And since I mysteriously disappeared without a trace they have to wait a bit before I am declared dead.”

“Probably because they aren’t expecting them to use them.” Derek muttered half to himself.

“Faulty judgement on their part.”

“No, I think you might be an outlier on that one, Zombiewolf.” Stiles added. “Plan?”

“Get Daniel out of his date.” Peter said.

“That’s a goal, not a plan.” Stiles said exasperated.

“Same difference.”

Stiles sighed heavily, “Yeah, not really.”

Not at all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. The Vegan joke was just that, a joke. No offense was meant- just gonna head that one off at the pass.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sucky, sucky two weeks. Many apologies readers but I was busy being dragged through group project hell and then got slammed into the invisible concrete wall named midterms. Not a pleasant time at all. But here is a new chapter for our reading pleasure anyways.

They really should have had a plan.

“Alright, how about we all just calm down.” Stiles offered over the sounds of growling stemming from three out of the five people that were currently stuffed into the back alley between the restaurant and the strip mall back parking lot. “Now, if you could just release Danny we’ll let you go and deal with all this shit another day. How’s that sound?”

Judging by the unmanly squeak that Danny made as the arm around his throat tensed further, not great.

“Okay now, none of that. Danny is a normal human so if you wouldn’t mind not killing him, that would be great.” He looked wildly over at Peter and Derek, both of whom were crouched, ready to attack, and of little use to the negotiation table. He looked at Danny whose eyes were wide as he panted softly for breath.

He was smart. Had stopped struggling against the alpha’s hold and was keeping as still as possible hoping that the other teen would loosen his grip enough for him to break free.

Stiles doubted that was going to happen.

Fed up with the stand-off and not liking the slightly glazed look that was enveloping Danny’s eyes, Stiles kicked Peter sharply. The man whirled on him, snarling and snapping, before he seemed to snap out of it and straightened. “Yeah,” Stiles murmured, “Thanks for joining us. Also, we are definitely discussing the difference between a goal and a plan later.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “If you keep squeezing him like that you are going to be minus your one bargaining chip.” He told the younger wolf who hesitated for a moment but didn’t release his hostage. “At least lessen your grip there, Kujo.”

That did it, the dog jokes always did. The other teen lunged forward, claws out ready to tear into Peter. This meant that he dropped Danny who sort of jumped/fell off to the side to avoid being speared by any claws.  Stiles moved faster than he ever had grabbing the other teen by the arm and dragging him away toward the truck.

He didn’t dare look back at the fight. Peter and Derek could take care of themselves for a minute.

He got Danny up into the cab and checked him over quickly, “You okay?”

“Yeah, Fine.” Danny croaked weakly. Stiles seriously hoped Buff-and-Brawn over there hadn’t crushed anything.

“Stay here. Get into the Driver’s seat.” Stiles said hopping back down from the cab just as he heard Peter’s distinctive howl of pain. “Lock the door. Your date starts making for you, take off, we can take care of ourselves.”

Danny nodded and struggled to pull something out of his pocket. A second later he dropped the keys to his own car in Stiles hand. “Just in case.”

Stiles nodded and tucked it into his jeans before taking off back to the fight. Derek was locked tightly with the other Alpha neither letting go enough for the other to make a distinct hit. Peter had pushed himself up against the brick of the building and was panting, beta form still in place. Stiles ran over to him and noticed that the older man had blood seeping from what appeared to be a hole in his gut. Stiles stripped off his flannel outer shirt and held it to the wound.

“Shit. Shit.” He muttered as Peter whined, eyes rolling from pain. “Okay, can you—look just don’t move. Hold this to the wound and for God’s sake do not shift.” Stiles had a feeling that that would be a monumentally bad idea.

Peter stared at him as if to say, ‘well no duh.’ Stiles would be insulted later.

He turned to face the fight again. Derek was holding his own but it was obvious that he was distracted and not concentrating on the matter at hand. It was also obvious that the younger Alpha had significantly more experience being one and knew how to throw his weight and power around in a way that Derek did not.

Stiles was also deeply aware that they did not have time to wait  for this fight to end on its own and he wasn’t inclined to see it through to the unwelcome conclusion of Derek getting his ass kicked and possibly killed.

Okay, he thought to himself, killing and or vanishing the alpha was out, that would only instigate another attack by the alpha pack and lord knows how this one’s twin would react. He had to get the other Alpha to take off. On his own and preferably quickly without revealing their full hand.

He choked off a scream as the teen Alpha lashed out at Derek and tore across Derek’s face. Blood gushed down into his eyes but Derek did not falter, if anything becoming more aggressive as he sliced viciously through the other’s arms with his own claws causing the teen to whine painfully. Stiles cringed as he got a knee to the balls for his effort. That was playing dirty.

Stiles suspected that the Alpha pack didn’t really care.

Peter moaned again behind him and Stiles winced.

Damn it. He needed a plan. He had to get that damn alpha to leave.

Stiles nearly slapped himself. He turned his back from the fight and pulled the phone out of his pocket open the messages and finding a likely name, Ethan. He shot off a text telling him that he was needed but the hideout was compromised. He seriously hoped that he had the right brother and that the fact that he had been on a date meant that he didn’t know what had happened.

Stiles held his breath and nearly cried with relief when the Alpha felt his phone go off in what was left of his pocket. Now he just had to pray that he would feel the need to stop the fight to check…and that Derek was smart enough to let him back off if he did.

It was Stiles lucky night. Ethan shoved Derek violently back causing him to stumble and hit the wall. The Alpha scrambled for his phone as Derek paused to get his bearings. He read the message and took off only pausing to snarl at Derek once more.

Stiles grabbed at Derek’s arm to prevent him from taking off after Ethan. “Yo, not the time. We need to get back in territory before he finds out that we have his brother’s cell. Peter is going to bleed out at this rate.”

Derek shook off his adrenaline-fueled fog. “What?”

“Your uncle? Hole in his gut? Ringing any bells?”

“No, why did he take off?”

“I texted him.” Stiles said jiggling the phone in Derek’s face.

“How did you know that wasn’t his phone?”

“Wild guess. It was worth a shot.”

“What if it hadn’t been his brother’s? You could have called the rest of the alpha pack to us.”

“Calculated risk.” Stiles said, “Look we needed to get out of here as fast as possible.”

“I—“

“I swear to God, if the next words out of your mouth are ‘had him on the ropes’ I will punch you in the throat.”

Stiles didn’t wait for a reply. He bent down to Peter who through one of his arms over his shoulder. Derek propped up his other side, “I’ve got him.” He muttered, “Can you do something about that?” He gestured at the splattered crimson that puddled on the ground and splashed up the wall where Peter had been lying moments before. Stiles bit his lip.

He sure hoped so.

“Go, get him to the truck. I’ll be right behind you.”

Derek nodded and half dragged his uncle away.

Stiles stared down at the blood.

“I really hope this works.”

He closed his eyes tight for a moment trying to clear his mind and then dropped down into a crouch suddenly and reached out to touch the rapidly cooling and congealing mess. He flinched at the feel of it but took a deep breath and concentrated on forcing out just enough power to vanish the evidence but leave the wall still standing.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Gone, and only a few chips in the brick. No one would know the difference. He repeated the process on the few drops that had trailed up to the wall before following Derek and Peter to the truck.

He frowned, “What are you doing?”

Derek glanced at him, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “He won’t get in.”

“I will not bleed all over my car, thank you.”

“Oh come on.” He said shoving Peter lightly toward the cab. The man refused to budge.

“I will not—“His reiteration was cut off as his nephew bodily lifted him into the back seat.

“I’ll pay to clean it.” Derek said before opening the door to the driver’s side. Danny had already hopped back over to the passengers.

Stiles shut the door behind him as the elder started up the car and leaned up, “I’ll be right behind you in Danny’s car.”

“Get in, we’ll come back later.”

Stiles shook his head, “Too risky. It’s right there. You can even wait for me to pull out if you want.”

Derek nodded.

Stiles thumped the door with his hand as he turned around, “Watch it!” Peter’s voice responded.

He thumped it again for good measure.

Serves the man right.

Next time they would have a plan.

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! The last couple of months have been hell on me, my last semester was a lot more difficult than originally planned and I had literally zero time, or ambition, to write. But I am officially a college graduate and due to the fact that I am going to be moving back across the country in a couple of months and so there is little point to trying to find a regular job here I should have time to write and edit to my heart's content. To try and make up for the long delay I am going to post a couple chapters over the next few days, I'm not going to give specifics cause my schedule this week is still kind of up in the air with Christmas and all but you can expect at least 2 more chapters this week.

Stiles frowned at the form collapsed on his bed. The bleeding had stopped, finally, about ten minutes ago not long after Peter had embraced the wonders of unconsciousness as a form of pain relief. He was lucky to be alive. The hole in his gut was actually bigger than it had first appeared and several organs had been damaged in the attack, it was all Matt and Deaton, whom Stiles had had Scott call while they were driving home, could do to keep Peter’s insides, well, internal.

If nothing else this whole episode told them something that probably should have recognized long before Peter was lying half-dead in Stiles bed.  

They were totally outclassed.

At least, the pack was, and more than that, the Alpha pack knew how to hit them where it hurt the most.

This was already the second time that Peter, the one that the pack had all but figured was immortal given his disturbing inability to remain dead, was put through the ringer and nearly slaughtered by one of the Alphas. Which sucked because, for all that they still vaguely wished that he would have stayed dead the first time, the pack was sort of relying on him to be the one that knew what the fuck he was doing and to get them all on the same page.

Yet here he was.

Hurting.

Wounded.

“I know I’m pretty but could you stop staring?” Peter rasped, shifting his head to look over at Stiles.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Jackass.” Stiles said then shifted slightly and grinning, “Well, sort of in your case.”

“Cute.” He tried to sit up before Stiles could stop him. “FUCK!” He shouted falling back down and clutching his side weakly. “That fucking hurts.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, “Yes, I bet it does.” He flicked him on the forehead, “No duh, dipshit. You have a hole the size of an Alpha’s fist in your stomach.”

He groaned, “Did you get blood in my car?”

“Your precious is fine, Gollum. Only you could possibly be so anal about the state of your truck that you manage to bleed all over everything but it. Seriously, all three of us had to change and there wasn’t a freaking drop in the car itself. I suspect witchcraft.”

“You’re one to talk.”

Peter grimaced and attempted to shift again, this time a little slower and a lot more gingerly. Stiles finally took pity on him and helped him shift his weight onto a set of pillows so he was at a better angle.

“Seriously, be careful. It took forever to get you to stop bleeding, let’s not push it.”

“I’m healing.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, “Sure, but healing from ‘pretty sure he shouldn’t have survived the car ride’ is a little different than healing from the little kitten scratches that Kali left you a couple nights ago.”

“I’m fine. Healed from worse.”

“I’m almost positive that coming back from the dead doesn’t count as healing, Black Knight.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “It’s just a flesh wound.”

Stiles grinned, “Dude, thank you for getting that reference.”

Peter laughed and then grimaced as he jarred his injury again. “Please, don’t do that.” He groaned and coughed making matters worse.

Stiles immediately started to shift him back down onto his back but had his hand slapped away for his effort. “Stop it, you need to lay down.”

“Hands off, pipsqueak, I’m fine.”

“Don’t make me call Deaton in here, He has Doggie sedatives on him and he assures me that they will work.”

Peter sighed but allowed Stiles to help him lie back down. He caught a glimpse of the other forms lying at Stiles feet however and frowned.

Stiles sighed, “Oh yeah, that’s Magastre.” He nudged the large pitbull that had been following him around since he had returned home. “Dad’s Hellhound thing.”

“Demon Dog.” Iggy said as he entered the room. “Morning, Sunshine.”

“Demon dog, Hellhound same difference.” Stiles said.

“Have you learned nothing? Hellhounds aren’t visible to the naked eye. Only the shadows.”

“Wait, like in Supernatural?”

“Sort of, not really. No one can see them, ever. Don’t know why we call them Hellhounds, they are more carnivorous shadow blobs than anything else. Like a swarm of Piranhas. Hellfish sounds a bit weird though.”

Stiles snorted, it really did.

Iggy looked down at the two dogs curled up at Stiles’ feet, “Armensis, Daddy is looking for you.” He said and the tiny Pomeranian detangled himself from the larger dog’s paws and trotted out of the room. Magastre looked a little put out that her small furry pillow had left her and turned considering to the bed.

“Sorry sweetheart, that’s a no go.” Stiles told her. “We wouldn’t want to have to explain to Dad how you got yourself eaten by the Big Bad Wolf.”

“Given the size and mannerisms of her smaller counterpart I would be more concerned with her eating me.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, she prefers hunting her food. You are a little too easy to catch right now.” Stiles’ dad commented as he walked by, “To me.” He ordered and the Pit-bull followed him down the hall to the stairs.

“You know, it is still odd to see an animal that gets along with my Dad.” Stiles said.

“She wasn’t here earlier.” Peter commented.

“No, Dad got her while he was out.”

“How’s that? There some kind of Demon Dog delivery service?”

“He can summon her.”

“Oh.” He frowned, “How long have I been out?”

“Few hours.” Iggy said. “Honestly, I’m surprised you are already awake.”

“Hours?!” Peter snapped and struggled to sit up again.

“Stop that!” Stiles barked at him and pushed him back down. “Yes, hours.”

“But that’s—“

“We know.” Stiles told  him. “Like I said, as far as we can tell you shouldn’t have made it back here. You are currently missing large hunks of your internal organs, which, I am told, are not supposed to grow back in Weres but seem to be chugging along just fine in you.”

“What?!”

“We were hoping you might tell us.” Iggy leaned against the wall and watched Peter carefully. “We were under the assumption that is had something to do with your little resurrection spell.”

“If it does I was unaware.” He gazed down at bandaged wound looking a little worried.

Which worried Stiles, a lot.

Peter was supposed to wake up and tell them ‘haha, jokes on you; that was a permanent resurrection spell. I’m Immortal, bitches!’. He was not supposed to look as concerned as they were about what was happening.

Great.

“On the plus side we will have the element of surprise with the Alpha pack now.” Stiles said. Someone had to break the tension. “They have to figure that you are dead as a doornail by now.”

“Never really got that saying.” Iggy remarked.

“Me neither.”

“He’s right though, If you’re gonna keep healing like a Fae they aren’t going to know what to do with you.”

“Someone needs to film Tweedle dum’s reaction when he sees Peter back in action.”

“I’m glad you find my circumstances amusing.” Peter growled and something sounded seriously off.

“Whoa, wait dude, shifting is a bad idea right now with that wound.” Stiles said as he turned around.

His mouth gaped open as he took in the sight of Peter’s glowing Electric blue eye.

Oh, shit.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes, I am aware that teen wolf canon has overwritten my little explanation of hellhounds but this was written long before that reveal and I am not changing jack about it. This is an AU anyways so it really shouldn't matter and if it does to you then this probably isn't the story for you to begin with because the tramping all over canon is only going to get worse from here.
> 
> Also, yes, I am aware that technically Ethan and Aiden are only supposed to have an alpha form when they merge together but, say it with me now- AU.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two days in a row, woohoo! Unfortunately this is a little short compared to others but it made the most sense for me to split it here. I actually had a little bit of a writing/editing fest yesterday after I posted so I have plenty to work with for the next little while. You will definitely get at least one more chapter this week, maybe two. I don't want to lose too much of my buffer this week because I probably wont have too much time to continue writing until after xmas. If I see that I can keep a good pace though, I will start updating twice a week, regularly.

“That’s not normal, right?” Iggy muttered half to himself. “I’m going to go get…people. Yeah, people.” He turned tail and ran out of the room shouting Ari’s name frantically as he pounded down the stairs.

“What’s going on?!” The grumble that left Peter’s throat was bone-numbingly horrific, Stiles was torn between wanting to run down the stairs and just taking the fast route out the window.

“I don’t…” He stumbled on his words unsure of how to answer the question.

As luck would have it the need was taken right out of his hands as Ari burst into the room with Derek and Scott right behind him. The latter took one look at Peter and actually screamed.

Oh,  Scotty.

“What the Fuck!” Derek barked, eyes flashing his ire.

“Oh.”

That was not a reassuring sound coming from Ari.

“Oh? That’s all you have to say? Oh! We are going to need more than that, Rajmund. Like, a lot more. What the hell is going on here?” Stiles babbled frantically.

“I…I have no idea.”

“You…you have no…” They were doomed.

Doomed.

The world was collapsing around them and they were all going to die at the hands of the freaky void monster that Peter Hale was transforming into in front of their very eyes.

Stiles was so done.

“Will someone please let me in on the joke?” Peter snapped, his booming voice actually shaking Stiles’ lamp nearly off his night stand.

It was Lydia who gave him the answer he wanted, the rest of them were too busy freaking out to do anything productive. The strawberry-blonde had followed the others in and after muffling a shriek at the sight of him pulled a compact out of her jacket pocket and handed it to the werewolf-thing on the bed.

Peter opened it and looked at his reflection for a good minute unable to speak. He closed the case with a snap and handed it back over to her and was out of the bed before anyone could stop him. He threw open the closet door to look in the full length mirror.

He turned to them and then turned right back. “Tell me that this is some sort of practical joke.”

Stiles shook his head, “First of all turning you into some sort of weird ass monster thing is exactly no one’s idea of practical. Second, I’d like to know how exactly you think we would have managed that?”

He was pretty sure that getting anyone to look like Peter currently did would take a lot of makeup and prosthetics. And one of those weird contacts, though he didn’t know of any that would turn an eyeball into a ball of terrifying black void space.

“What the hell is this?!”

“Peter.” Derek started, “We’ll figure this out.”

“Oh, thank you Derek. I feel so much more at ease with my predicament now. We will figure this out. Thank you. There should not be anything to figure out. This should not be happening in the first place!”

“Whoa, boy.” Stiles said, “Look, I know you are a little freaked out right now but there is no need to take it out on Derek.”

“Would you rather I take it out on you?” He snapped.

At the moment?

Yes.

He was pretty sure that Derek was freaking out as much as the rest of them combined.

Including Peter.

In fact, he was fairly certain that if they didn’t get the Alpha out of the room ASAP they were going to have bigger problems than Half-A-Skeleton Hale.

He looked over at Scott who still looked shell-shocked and indicated Derek and the door. It took him a few shots to get it but they got there eventually and Scott and Iggy half pulled Derek out of the room Leaving just Stiles, Ari, and Peter behind.

Ari shut the door.

“So.”

“Oh, helpful.” Peter snapped causing Stiles to glare at him.

“Get your skeletal ass back into that bed, Hale.” He pointed forcefully baring his own teeth right back at the were who, surprisingly, obeyed.

Stiles nodded at him as he forcefully propped himself up on some pillows and glared at him. Peter glared at him again as he moved to check the bandaged wound.

He frowned when he pulled back the bandage carefully and found little more than a fairly savage slice. “Alright, that’s weird.”

Ari came closer to take a look and frowned. “That is healing faster than even a Fae could.”

“Right.” Stiles said, “You really have no ideas?”

“Not really. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“What, you mean you’ve never seen half of a human’s flesh-mass up and vanish before?” Peter asked snidely.

“It’s not half your mass.” Ari said. “There is still organs and muscles and stuff.”

“Oh good, organs and stuff. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“Oh calm down.” Stiles snapped. “This is more than likely your own fault.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t even pretend that you don’t think that this might have something to do with your whole resurrection situation.”

“There was nothing about becoming something out of a horror movie, thank you very much.”

“If it makes you feel better you are clearly something out of a blockbuster horror film. They would have to have the big bucks in the costuming department.”

“Oh well, as long as it’s a blockbuster.”

“Don’t be snide.”

“Have you met me?”

“Children, focus.” Ari chided. “Hale, have you tried shifting fully?”

“What?”

“This is clearly not your full shift even as a beta wolf.” Ari said. “Try for a full shift.”

“Okay, wait. Supercharged healing or not, he still has a significant cut in his stomach. Should he be shifting?”

“If shifting this much healed him that much it stands to reason that a full shift will give him a full heal.”

“Uh-huh. You just want to see what he looks like.”

“Well, there is that too.”

Stiles turned back to face Peter, “Fine, try it but if your wound feels like it is getting any worse stop.”

Peter rolled his eyes but nodded and muttered under his breath, “Not a child.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

Peter glared at him, “May I get up, your highness?”

“As you will, peasant.”

Stiles and Ari stood back as Peter got back up and glanced down at his jeans which were already torn from the earlier fight. He shrugged and unfastened his belt before stripping them off completely leaving him in his boxer-briefs. Stiles squeaked, “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Trying to not cut off my own circulation and destroying these pants completely.”

“Dude, they are torn to hell and soaked in blood I think they are done for already.”

“Well, since I already have them off it would be silly to put them back on.”

Ari chuckled and the affronted look on Stiles’ face. “It’s probably for the best, we don’t know what is going to happen when he shifts.”

Stiles looked at his cousin for a second, thoughtful, and grabbed the rumpled blanket off the bed. “Just in case those thing don’t hold up; I ain’t staring at his junk.”

Peter shook his head and rolled his shoulders, “Let’s give this a go then.”

And then he shifted.

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve, Enjoy! :)

Stiles was torn.

It was either the coolest or the most disgusting thing that he had ever witnessed in his short but rather eventful life and the creature that Peter had become was either the most fascinating or the most terrifying creature in existence.

It was awful.

In the really old sense of the word where what you were really saying was awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

It made Armensis in his demon form look like a big fluffy teddy bear. He hadn’t seen Magastre’s other form yet but he was pretty sure that nothing could top this.

Nothing.

It was a wolf, sort of.

A real one, not the sort of wolfy man-things that the other weres turned into. An actual, honest to god, wolf. Well, half of one at least.

It was nothing like Peter’s alpha form which had looked more like a rampaging, red-eyed gorilla than any form of wolf. It also had significantly less of the ‘I will kill you all’ vibe that alpha Peter had had going on. That being said, this version looked a lot more likely to finish you slowly and with great pleasure, this version would think about it first, toy with you, then…

This version was more Peter than his Alpha form had ever been.

That was probably what made it so much more terrifying.

That and the fact that the other half of its body was essentially a skeleton with a few patches of muscles and tendons holding it together. He was also pretty sure that if he allowed himself to really look past the freaky eyes he would see internal organs sort of magically suspended in mid-air in the appropriate positions.

He glanced down briefly and deeply regretted it because, yeah, that’s what he thought. He cringed as the visible lung expanded and contracted with Peter’s breath.

Stiles snapped his eyes back to the wolf’s eyes.

The blue eye stared back at him tracking his movements to slightest degree. Stiles swallowed, his throat feeling suddenly tight and dry.

Peter sat down which was really odd to watch and lifted the boney front paw. He snarled at the sight of it making Stiles jump.

“Suffice it to say that something has gone a bit off.” Ari said as he cautiously approached Peter. He was pushed back by the answering growl.

“Just a little, yeah.” Stiles muttered and squatted to look at Peter more closely though he didn’t approach. "That's not normal, right?”

“Not for any were that I have ever heard of.”

“Is this a Fae thing?”

“Again, not one that I have ever heard of and even if I had, he isn’t fae.”

Right.

Stiles stared intensely at the wolf’s eyes. “So, what’s that about?” he questioned as he peered into the blackened eye. It was so intensely dark that it seemed to leech all color around it. Without thinking he leaned a little closer and reached out to touch it.

Peter didn’t try to bite his hand off, which was good, but he did bare his teeth. “Right, no touchy.”

He backed off and glanced at Ari.

“I’m going to go call Dr. Deaton.” Ari muttered as he backed out of the room.

Stiles’ eyes widened, “I’m coming to--”.

The growl that tore from Peter-the-wolf’s snout was menacing to say the least and way that he paced the floor blocking Stiles’ access to the doorway made Stiles more than a little nervous. “Ari?” he squeaked.

Ari glanced back over his shoulder “Stay there, he’s not going to let you out and until we figure out how to get him back to normal we likely should avoid pissing him off.”

Stiles gaped at his cousin’s back as he hustled out the door, “Are you serious? Come on, Ari? Iggy?” Stiles backed up quickly, scrambling onto the bed at the wet huff of breath on his leg. “Guys? COme on, you can’t leave me here with--Oh shit, Ow, fuck Peter! you are a lot heavier than you look, asshole! Get off me!”

***

“Were there any complications in his change?”

Stiles stared at Deaton, “You’re kidding me, right?” He gestured down at the massive creature pinning his legs to the mattress. “Yeah, there were complications, Deaton! Half of his body is missing!”

“I meant, did he seem to be in pain or confused?” Deaton sighed shaking his head at Stiles lightly as he moved around the bed trying to get a better look at Peter’s new form. “Can you get him to turn over for me?”

Stiles glared at him, “You think that if I could get the big lump to move I would still be pinned under him like this?”

“I suppose not.” The vet frowned, “Then would you mind attempting to touch his ribcage?”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Is the ribcage actually open to the air of has the flesh simply turned invisible?”

“Oh, come on!” Stiles snapped at him, “I am not poking Peter in the lung to satisfy your sick curiosity!”

“So, no flesh at all then.” Deaton jotted down some notes, “Any bodily fluids leaking out?”

Stiles gagged, “You are a sick, disgusting, man, Alan Deaton.”

“Mr. Stilinski.”

“No!” Stiles snapped, “No bodily fluids, thank you very much.”

“Thank you. This is very interesting.”

“Sure, yeah, whatever. Now what the hell is wrong with him because this is not a normal reaction to an Alpha attack, as far as I know.”

“No, it certainly is not.”

Iggy poked his head in the door, “How’s it going?” Peter growled lowly when he attempted to get near the bed. “No worries, big guy. I’ll just stay all the way over here, thank you very much.” He glanced at Deaton, “Anything sticking out at you?”

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard of. Has your brother found anything out?”

“Nothing yet. Uncle Justek is trying to get ahold of the Erlking. He seems vaguely Demon Dog-like so we figured it was worth a shot.”

“The head of the hunt?” Stiles asked. “You think he’s like Magastre and Armensis? That seems Unlikely.”

“Not the same, but your dad remembered some story about what the Dogs were like before the Fates that might have a connection.”

“Great, so this might be a Fae thing.” Stiles groaned, “Which means this was probably my fault. Fabulous.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was your fault.” Iggy offered with a shrug, “I mean something else might have caused it.” Stiles raised an eyebrow at him, and Iggy shrugged “Yeah, okay, so it’s probably your fault. Well, not fault, doing? Your doing maybe?”

“Great, thank you very much.” Stiles shifted causing Peter to huff at him in annoyance, “Yeah well, your ribcage is jabbing me in the liver.” Peter shifter further down his legs, rolling his visible eye and Stile sighed in relief, “Thank you.”

“Stiles,” Iggy smiled softly, “You look tired, both of you, try and get some sleep. We’ll wake you up if we find anything.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Stiles yawned and waved his cousin and the vet out of the room and glanced down at Peter, “You keep your bones out of my squishy bits and we’ll be just fine, got it?”

The wolf snorted but shifted its weight slightly off Stiles so he could shift into a more comfortable position. The sounds of soft puppy snoring luled Stiles to sleep in only  a few minutes.

Of course, it only took a few minutes longer for Stiles to end up with a rib in his kidney again, “Fan-fucking-tastic.” Stiles growled and bodily shoved the huge wolf out of his lap. “Asshole!”

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the week! Hope everyone enjoyed my attempt at making up for lost time. I haven't yet decided when the best day will be for me to update regularly but I'll let you all know when I do.

“Here.”

“Aw, Sourwolf, you do care.” Stiles grinned at Derek sharply as he snagged the plate of sandwiches from him, tossing a slice of bacon from his BLT to Peter at his feet who gobbled it up greedily. The wolf was still unwilling to let Stiles out of the room though he had gotten better at letting other people in. At least, Ari and Derek were allowed in for periods of no more than five minutes and Deaton seemed to be on a sort of probation as long he stayed at least four feet away from Stiles and Peter. Matt was okay though, which was strange. Peter had actually allowed the other man to check him over without much issue.

Derek glanced over at the still full bowl of sauteed ground beef sitting in the corner of the room, “Still not eating his own food?”

“He sniffs it occasionally but, no. Nothing yet.”

“I’ll take it with me then, put it in the fridge. We can heat it up and try again later.”

“Sounds good.” Stiles mumbled through a mouthful of his sandwich. “He’s bound to get hungry enough eventually.”

“He doesn’t eat as much as he used to anyways.” Derek said, as he stared at his Uncle. “Since before the fire, I mean. I never really saw him eat after--well, you know.”

“He probably wasn’t eating all that much then, long term IV nutrition can be hell on the digestive system. I know that there is the whole healing factor to take into account but he was in pretty bad shape after the Coma.” Stiles said with a shrug before tugging another slice of Bacon out of the overstuffed sandwich and tossing it down to the wolf.

“Yeah, I guess.” Derek grumbled not taking his eyes off of Peter.

The room was quiet for a minute, apart from the sounds of Stiles and Peter chewing their lunch. Stiles set his sandwich back onto his plate and sighed, “We are going to figure this out, Derek.”

“What?”

“He’s okay for now, as sucky as the situation is is could be a lot worse. We will figure out what went wrong.”

“I know.” Derek snapped at him, “Whatever, just eat. I’m heading back downstairs.” The older man grabbed the bowl from the floor and rushed out of the room.

Stiles looked down at Peter, “He’s worried about you.”

Peter snorted as he examined his boney forepaw.

“It’s true and you know it.” Stiles said as he chewed on a chip, “This is weird, even for you, and as much as he would like to pretend he couldn’t give a shit less about you now, you are the only family he has left.”

Peter rolled his eye and stretched his body out on the floor before getting up to pace the floor again.

“Does it feel weird?” Stiles couldn’t help but ask as he watched the wolf’s bare bones press against the floor. Peter huffed in a way that Stiles took to mean, “No, duh.”

“Right, course it does.” Stiles hopped off the bed and walked toward his desk. Peter growled at him tense and wary. “Just getting my computer, dude. I’m bored.”

The Wolf watched him as he gathered up the laptop and carried it back to the bed. Stiles sighed as he booted it up, this was going to be a long day.

***

Matt smiled at Stiles as he skirted around the sleeping pile of Peter on the floor. “Hey, kid. How’s it going?”

“I am so bored. I have never been so sick of this room in my life. I’m just lucky that the bathroom is right there or I would be totally screwed.”

“He’s sleeping now, that's a good sign.”

“He was sleeping before, too.”

“Yes, but he’s not waking up when someone enters the room. Have you tried leaving while he was asleep?”

Stiles frowned, “Yes, he woke up the second I reached the door. And if anyone he does not approve of tries to come in while he is sleeping they deeply regret it. Ask Iggy.”

“He still can’t change back either?”

“Can’t or won’t. I have no idea which. Sadly, animal talking is not one of my superpowers and as expressive as the Hale eyebrows are I have yet to translate coherent sentences from them.”

Matt laughed and sat down on the bed beside him after setting down the freshly heated bowl of hamburger meat by the window. “Everyone is still searching for a solution. We will find one.”

“Yeah, I know that. It’s just...frustrating. Have we heard anything back from the Erlking?”

“Yes, and they are looking into it. But until Peter can change back, until he has more control, we can’t get all the information that we need to figure this out.”

“Great.” Stiles rubbed his eyes in frustration, “Hear that? Suck it up and change back, ass.”

Peter squinted up at them in annoyance.

Matt laughed, “Somehow I doubt that it is that easy. But,he’s not wrong,” He nudged Peter with his foot, “Far as Deaton and I can tell there is absolutely no reason why you can’t change back.”

“He’s just being petulant.” Stiles sniped tossing a pillow at the wolf and ignoring the ripping noise that care seconds later. He totally laughed when Peter started coughing and sneezing through his mouthful of feathers, “Serves you right.”

“Who the hell still sleeps on down pillows?” the older man spluttered spitting wet feathers onto Stiles rug. “Disgusting.”

“Oh, look at that, he can change back.” Stiles drawled. “I knew you were faking.”

“I was comfortable.”

“Whatever.”

Matt shook his head at them, “I’m going to go get Deaton to check you out.”

“Honestly, he’s not particularly my type.”

“Shut up and eat your dinner, dogbrains.” Stiles snapped shoving the bowl of hamburger into Peter’s hands.

“If I wouldn’t eat it as a wolf what makes you think I would be willing to eat it as a human?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Matt asked, curiously. “We’ve been wondering why you wouldn’t eat it at all.”

“Smells wrong. Like old cow and poison.”

“Been around a lot of old cows?” Stiles quipped, leaning down to sniff at the food, “None of the other wolves noticed anything wrong with--ugh. that’s vile!” He jerked back from the dish, “Are you guys sure that was ever a cow?”

Matt frowned and sniffed it himself, “Smells fine to me.” He offered, but took the bowl regardless, “I’ll bring you something else though.”

“Please.” Peter grumbled.

Stiles rubbed frantically at his nose trying to get rid of the smell. “God, so gross. That’s just...I think I’m going to puke.”

Peter frowned at him, “It wasn’t that bad. I mean, not appetizing, sure, but certainly not worthy of that reaction.”

“Ugh, I think the smell is stuck in my nose hairs.”

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

“I hate you so much.”

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to go up yesterday but I was sick as a dog so... Anyways, I'm going to be updating on Sundays for the foreseeable future although there might be a mini hiatus next month because I am moving back home (across the country) so there is a lot of packing and stuff to do. Also, yes this is a little bit short but I wanted to end it there and I don't like stretching chapters past what I feel is their best end point. Sorry.

Stiles sighed and sniffed the next bottle. “Why do we even have this many spice bottles?” He groused as he waved the pepper away “Definitely not that one.”

Peter paused and sniffed a different bottle interestedly, “This smells strange.” He offered it to Stiles who took a sniff for himself.

He glanced at the label before smelling the contents again, “Weird, not bad though, just...off?” He snapped the cap closed and turned the bottle over. “Expired, toss it in the trash.” He sighed handing it over to Ari who nodded and threw it in the garbage.

“It doesn’t seem to be any of the spices then.” Matt muttered to himself as he assessed the pile of tested canisters.

“Maybe it was the meat?” Stiles said.

“And no one else could detect it?” Derek countered.

“Well it has to be something that not everyone can detect, doesn’t it?” Stiles stood up and paced the kitchen trying to think. “And why would it affect me and Peter but not anyone else? It can’ be a fae thing if it’s not affecting anyone else.” 

“Different Fae are affected by different things, Grzegors.” Ari told him. 

“Neither Raj nor Ryan or Lennon were affected by it.”

“There are too many variables to say at this point.”

“Yeah well you have to have done something different with the meat than anything else you fed me and Peter.”

“Nothing that I can thin--Oh.” Matt stared at Ari, startled. “We cooked them in different pans, didn’t we?”

“I suppose, but…Wait a minute.” Ari blinked rapidly and moved to the pan cabinet digging through for a moment before retrieving a coal black pan from inside. and tossing it lightly to Peter who caught it and took a sniff before wrinkling his nose.

“That has a very high chance of being our issue.” He muttered as he moved to hand it to Stiles.

Stiles grabbed at it without thought, “Oh thank God, finally. Why didn’t you guys think of this so--” He shrieked high pitched and thoroughly pained dropping the pan into the floor and desperately scrambling away from it. “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! What the hell?!”

Stiles clutched at his hand weakly, eyes watering with agony. Peter was the first to react, shoving the pan away from them both and grabbing for Stiles’ hand. “What happened?”

“Christ, Oh my God!” Stiles whimpered through clenched teeth.

Matt carefully pried Stiles’ hand away from his chest to look at it, “Chemical Burns.” He snapped, “Bad ones. What the hell was that? Ari?”

“Iron. He’s allergic to iron?” Ari muttered turning the pan over in his hand. “This is cast iron though. I’ve only ever seen a Fae react badly to Cold Iron.”

“Well there is a first time for everything.” Matt snapped as he sorted through the case of herbs and oils at his side. “I don’t even know what I can use on him. Shit.”

“What could help?” Peter asked. “Pull them out.”

“What?” Matt stared at him for a second before catching on, “Right, Try these.” He sorted three bottle out of the set and Peter opened them up.

It seemed like hours before Stiles could feel Matt pouring something, blessedly soothing over his hand.

“Reactions to mistletoe as well.”  Matt muttered “Peppermint and Lavender are working a lot better than they normally would though.”

“Grzegors? Are you okay?” Ari asked from somewhere above him. “You’re healing fast. there shouldn't be any more pain now.”

Stiles relaxed minutely realizing that his cousin was right, it didn’t hurt anymore. He carefully, cautiously, tried to move his hands. Clenching and unclenching, working out any residual tightness in the skin.

“What the hell just happened?” He rasped, voice hoarse from fear and pain.

“You had a severe reaction to the cast iron skillet.” Matt explained calmly, “We aren’t sure why.”

“I thought that was a Fairy thing.” Stiles muttered, “I’m not about to sprout wings on top of everything else, am I?”

“It’s not supposed to be an anything thing.” Ari said, sounding annoyed. “Not cast iron at least. Cold Iron can do some damage but nothing like this.”

“Cold iron is just a pretty term for regular iron.” Peter snapped.

“No, Cold Iron is magical in nature. Iron thats properties have been manipulated by magicks.” Ari explained, “Very few people can even make it anymore and only the Dola still have access to it.”

“Great. What the hell am I supposed to do with an Iron allergy?”

“Tread very carefully.” Matt warned, “You seem to be okay with most foods right now but let someone know if certain things start to bother you. Meats, dark vegetables, mostly meat though. Any signs of issues you tell me.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Stiles groaned.

“We have no way of  knowing what is and is not going to affect you.” Matt told him, “Better safe than sorry at this point. Once we know more we may be able to find a way to limit your reaction.”

“Until then steer clear of the stuff,” Peter told him, “That’s a big bit of exposed underbelly to risk exposing to the Alpha pack.”

“Awesome.” Stiles sighed, “Whatever, let’s go back to talking about half-a-wolf, shall we?”

“We don’t really know anything yet.”

“Then maybe we should be working on that, huh?”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My editing process was a little wonky this time so let me know if you notice any mistakes. I think I go most of the issues but who knows, I wrote these two sections literally two months apart and in separate files so they might not flow as well as they could. I might have to do a more in depth editing of this book when I have more time later in the year. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

“This seems vaguely dangerous.”

Stiles sighed and pointedly ignored the voice behind him.

Maybe it would just go away.

It didn’t.

“Whoa!” he yelped barely managing to stabilize himself before he went careening of the edge of the roof.

“I don’t like being ignored.” The voice sing-songed as he took a seat beside Stiles, letting his legs hang over the edge.

“Fuck you.” Stiles snapped,  churlishly. “I don’t owe you anything. You are the one that up and vanished.”

“Things to do, people to see.” The fate replied with a smirk as he leaned back and closed his eyes. He seemed to be basking in the moonlight.

Stiles wished dearly that he could push the bastard right off the roof. No one would blame him.

Hell, Peter would help him hide the body.

Actually, Ari probably would too.

“I am a busy man, after all.” The fate continued.

Stiles grunted, a combination of frustration and acknowledgment.

“What?” Tae shrugged, “I’m back aren’t I?”

“Dunno. Are you? Are you going to take off again the second I turn my back?”

“Well, yeah, obviously.” He said bluntly. “As I said, I’m a busy man. Besides, you seem to be doing just fine without me dogging you at every turn.”

Stiles turned and gaped at him “Doing fine?! There is some kind of wolf-of-the-living-dead sleeping in my bed, the Alpha pack is here, I'm allergic to half of my kitchen utensils, and I still have no fucking clue how to use my powers...How exactly am I doing fine?”

“You’re not dead, are you?”

Stiles glared at him, “Good to know your standard of ‘doing fine’. Why bother to come back at all then?”

“I’m still tied to you, kid. We are stuck with each other.”

Stiles turned away and stared up at the sky. It was almost dawn and the horizon was just barely lightening. “How’d you get past Peter anyways?” He changed the subject.

“Peter! Yes, that’s his name.” Tae shrugged, “I could not think of it for the life of me.” He stretched and glanced over his shoulder at the window. “Same way you did, I would guess. I mean, for a wolf he sleeps like a log.”

“My scent actually belongs in my room. It's not that hard to sneak past them.”

“I don’t have a scent.” The fate told him. “Dead useful when it comes to the many and varied beasties that rely on their sense of smell.”

“Whatever.” Stiles closed his eyes and sighed wearily. “Who let you in anyways?”

As far as he could tell everyone else was dead to the world.

“I let myself in.”

“What is is with people and breaking and entering? Does no one remember that this is the Sheriff’s house?”

“That means absolutely nothing to me, kid. Besides, I didn’t break anything.”

“You broke the plane of entry. That’s all that matters.”

“I don’t imagine that the American legal code applies to mythical creatures and legendary beings.”

“Idiot.” Stiles muttered.

“Anyways, I had figured someone would wake up when I came in but nothing.”

“We’ve had an eventful few days.” Stiles snapped. “Pardon us for being a tad bit tired.”

“Says the boy who isn’t asleep.”

Apparently the fate was as unobservant as he was annoying. Stiles was exhausted. Dead on his feet and ready to collapse. No matter how many times he tried to go to sleep however, he kept jerking awake a few minutes later even more tired than previously. It was probably for the best that he had given up.

He didn’t deign to give the older man an answer, choosing instead to get up and climb back into his window. The fate followed him and glanced at the man sprawled across Stiles’ bed.

“Why are you even here?” Stiles muttered, frustrated. He sat himself down at his desk and let his head fall onto his folded arms. “Can we just get down to it so you can leave?”

“I have information for you.”

Stiles looked up at that and frowned deeply, “Information? Should I get Ari?”

The fate rolled his eyes, “If I wanted to talk to him I would have gone right to his room. the information is for you, Grzegorz. You and the overgrown mutt I guess.” He gestured vaguely at the bed.

Peter snuffled a little and shifted onto his other side but did not wake. Useless. What was the point of a guard dog that slept through a break in?

Taersin leaned against the window frame casually, hand tucked into the pockets of his dark brown slacks. Stiles noted that sometime during everything going to shit, the fate had taken a little shopping break. Asshole.

“I’ve confirmed a few things pertinent to your particular...situation.”

“My situ--which one?” Stiles barked, “I have more than my fair share at the moment.”

Too many to count really. And he expected the the deck would continue to stack against him as time went on.

“We were right.”

A beat, two.

The man made no attempt to follow through on his statement and Stiles glared at him.

He laughed, “You are so cute when you’re pissy, little Witchking.”

Stiles narrowed his eyes and started to speak, cute when he was pissy huh? He would show the man pissy. He stopped and rewound the statement in his mind. Little Witchking.

Shit, that situation.

Taersin grinned, “That's right my favorite little paradox. Witchking.”

“Great.” Stiles groaned and rubbed a hand over his face weakly, “Any idea how to make it un-happen?”

“No can do.”

Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Thanks for the helpful information. You know where the door is. Don’t let it hit you on the way out.”

The fate grinned at him and ducked back out the window preparing to leave.

Stiles sighed and felt his exhaustion creep right back up on him.

The Fate stuck his head back in for a moment and stiles glared at him.

He nodded toward the bed, “Especially now that you have taken a familiar.”

Stiles jerked up and out of his chair and rushed at the window just in time to see the man jump off the roof and disappear.

“Damn it!” He shrieked punching the window frame angrily. “You fucking Asshole! Get back here!”

Who the hell left after dropping a bomb like that?

“Wha-? Was’ going on?” Peter slurred, finally waking up. He squinted up at Stiles with a look of annoyance.

“You are the worst fucking guard dog in the history of guard dogs!”

***

“Familiar?”

“That’s what he said.”

“Like with a witch or something?”

“Do I look like I know, Hale?”

Stiles paced the length of his room in agitation, his pace increasing with each lap. He paused briefly at the door to check that the privacy seal was still working. The sun was up now and he was sure at least a few would be stirring.

“Do witches even have familiars?” Peter muttered to himself, “And if so aren’t they usually like ravens and black cats?”

“You would know better than me.” Stiles snapped.

“I’ve never met a witch, thank you very much.” He shrugged.  “Either way, I am a lot more interesting if you were going to have a familiar.”

“Sure, your are one hell of a conversation starter, that’s for sure.” Stiles glanced at Peter, “Why are you so calm?”

“Why are you so worked up?”

“Oh. I don’t know. Perhaps because you have been turned into so sort of mutant wolf skeleton monster thing and apparently it's my fault!”

“Well, at least it wasn’t mine for once.” Peter shrugged. “I’ll be expecting a public apology for the smears against my good name.”

“And another thing! Why you? Of all the wolves that I know, why the hell are you my familiar?!”

“Give the utter lack of clue either of us has I would say that trying to figure out the logistics is an exercise in futility.” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Earlier you were as freaked out as the rest of us. What kind of magical ass nap were you taking?!”

“I got over it.” He shrugged. “It isn’t like there is anything that I can do about it and it only happens when I shift, I was a little more worried about having to walk around like an anatomic dummy for the rest of my unnatural life. I can deal with only looking like that when I shift.”

“How? How are you always so unfazed by life? It’s like nothing sticks with you! Its like water rolling of the back of an otter or something.”

“Don’t be stupid. As you said I had my moment of freaking out earlier, when it first occurred. I am far from unfazed, but tell me, what good would it do for me to break down? I’m not dead, Stilinski, which means that I can move on. Shit happens, to me and mine more than most but, it happens to everyone. We just learn to deal with it. It’s far from the worst situation I have been caught up in. Hell, it isn’t even the worst thing to happen to me in the last three months let alone the rest of my life.” His eyes flashed telegraphing his annoyance.

It was interesting to watch the x-ray like flicker before his features settled back into his natural state. Obviously it was much harder for Peter to control the new form than it had been his old form. He normally had rock solid control over his transformations.

It was somehow even spookier in the dull morning light than it had been before. The shadows of night had left him looking like a movie monster but in the daylight he looked a lot more real and a lot more terrifying. it really did look like the skin and muscles of his face had simply vanished into thin air.

Stiles shook off his startle response quickly, but apparently not quick enough as Peter flinched and looked away.

Stiles felt a little guilty.

“Before was worse.” His eyes widened, he had not meant to say that.

Peter looked at him and Stiles found himself with the worst case of worst vomit he had had since he tried to ask Lydia to the homecoming dance freshmen year.

“It was worse before, when all your skin was melted and your alpha form was way more twisted. I mean, yeah, you look creepy as fuck but not as much like a science experiment gone awry, creating a monster bent on destroying the world and eating all that oppose him…” He hesitated and then whispered, “Or like a man that was burned alive.”

Peter didn’t speak right away, instead he just sort of stared directly into Stiles’ eyes.

Discomfiting to say the least.

When he did speak it was softly. Stiles strained to hear him, unsure of if he was supposed to be listening at all.

“I think we can agree on that.”

Stiles backtracked a little, “Not that I am equating the two or anything.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not.” He insisted. “They aren’t the same.”

“But they are.”

“No.” Stiles shook his head, “They aren’t. They really aren’t.”

Stiles realized that he actually meant that. He honestly did believe that Peter the victim and Peter the villain were totally separate entities.

Huh.

When had that happened?

When exactly had he begun separating the Alpha from Peter?

“You weren’t in your right mind.” He found himself saying.

“Many would tell you that I never was.” He shook his head. “My guilt still holds regardless of the circumstances. I knew what I was doing was wrong and did it anyways. I do feel remorse for some of my crimes.”

“Only some?”

“Laura, Scott, Ms. Martin...others I will never feel any kind of guilt for, Kate among others.”

Stiles had a feeling that there was more to Peter’s time as alpha that they did not know about. He wondered what but refrained from asking, now was not the time. The older man was finally revealing shit and Stiles was not about to push him into closing off again.

“I hurt many people that did not deserve it,” He said, his tone contemplative, “but far more that certainly did. there are few choices that I have made that I would change.”

One change Stiles knew for sure.

It didn’t take a mind reader.

Stiles nearly punched himself in the mouth when he blurted out the question that had been plaguing him for months, “What really happened with Laura?”

Peter stared at him sort of blankly before his face turned hard and cold. He turned his back to Stiles “The others will be waking.”

Shit.

So much for not pushing it.


	25. Chapter 25

Stiles lay back on his bed staring at his ceiling. He was so very done right now. Numb even. All day they had spent reading books, making calls, and trying to figure out what the hell had happened to Peter and what exactly a familiar was because it was certainly not a thing fae normally had. Peter had ignored him for the most part as well. Which, Stiles supposed wasn’t the worst thing in the world because the more that they did not manage to find out the more guilty he felt for getting Peter caught up in Stiles’ fucked up  life when he could barely cope with his own.

At least Grams had made her special lasagna for dinner, that was a plus.

He had gotten plenty of scrying practice in too.

On the other hand, half of the fae world population thought that they were all nuts and they actually appeared to be making backwards progress.

Seriously, Stiles was pretty sure that he knew less now than he had this morning.

Stiles let his eyes fall closed. Sleep. He needed to sleep.

The image of Peter’s face, cold and dead looking as it had been throughout the day flashed into his mind. Stiles groaned.

He was such an idiot.

Peter was just starting to open up. They had just been beginning to...well, get along was probably pushing it but they had had a sort of caustic truce between them and they could...tolerate each other’s presence.

Well, that was down the drain.

He sighed heavily.

Everyone who wasn’t directly related to his father had vacated the premises about an hour ago and twenty minutes later Ari and Iggy had taken off as well, the former to drop their mother and Grandmother off at their hotel and the latter to parts unknown after a phone call.

Stiles hadn’t had a chance to ask.

Ryan, Laramie, and Lennon had gotten a couple of rooms at the same hotel as Raj, much to both the Warlock and Ryan’s consternation.

Lennon had been pretty chill about the warlock’s presence but her sister was decidedly less so. Of course, the feeling was mutual. Raj had pretty much hated Ryan on sight.

Both Armensis and Magastre were chilling on Stiles bedroom floor. Apparently they enjoyed his company, at least according to his dad.

He wasn’t sure what that said about their taste, they had tagged after Peter for most of the day unless their masters needed them for something.

He had seen Peter petting Armensis absently as the demon dog slept happily in his lap for half the afternoon.

Stiles thought that in his case, they mostly liked to freak him out.

They felt really strange to Stiles, in the metaphysical sense.

Exceedingly so.

His dad had been called into work, and Val and Matt were tucked up tight in the guestroom likely doing things to each other that Stiles was not currently- read, _ever-_ inclined to contemplate.

Stiles was taking this rare moment of aloneness to try and wipe everything off his mind. It was not working.

Stiles smashed a pillow over his face and screamed into it.

This was just not his day.

***

“Fuck you, go away!” Stiles barked into his phone after it had woken him up at 2:30 in the morning. He thought, belatedly, that it might be his dad or someone but decided at this point he didn’t rightly care. He had finally, FINALLY, gotten to sleep and whoever was on the other line was messing with that.

God dammit, he just wanted to sleep through the night. Just once. Seriously.

“Snippy, snippy. Perhaps you should get more sleep, Mr. Stilinski.” Peter said, his tone mocking. Stiles could actually hear the damn smirk  on his smug asshole face.

“I will kill you.” Stiles growled but sat up in his bed and leaned over to flip on his lamp. “What do you want?” He whined.

“We need to talk.”

“At two AM? This can't wait until a reasonable time of day?”

“I couldn’t get out any sooner. My nephew likes to work out before he goes to sleep.”

Of course Derek does.

Stiles frowned suddenly, “Wait, out?”

“Yes, out.”

“Buddy system, damn it! Does no one understand the meaning of the words Buddy System?!”

“Because we all know that I am a stickler for the rules.”

“Don’t you sass me, Mister. Get your ass home, now!”

“Technically, I am home.” Peter said. “twenty minutes.”

Stiles stared at the screen of his phone as the call ended screen flashed upon it.

What?

What?!

Stiles groaned and got out of his bed and pulled on his lacrosse sweatshirt.

Peter had another thing coming if he thought Stiles was actually getting dressed for this bull shit.


	26. Chapter 26

“Why the fuck am I here, Evil Undead?” Stiles snapped as he hopped out of the jeep.

Peter didn’t bother to answer. He turned around and walked into the ruins of his former home. Stiles sighed, annoyed, but followed him inside watching his step carefully.

Stiles lost sight of Peter for a few seconds before hearing some noise coming from the back of the house. He followed it and found the older man sitting cross legged on the floor of what was likely the least charred room in the house.

He didn’t look at Stiles as the teen sat down across from him. He wasn’t really looking at anything. He was sort of looking through the wall, mind not really there.

He spoke though.

“I was lying on my bed, studying.” He indicated the metal bed frame that, though discolored, still stood in the corner of the room.

Peter’s bed.

Peter’s bedroom.

“I was home from school for the weekend. I had a huge paper due so I had to lock myself in to get anything done.” He shrugged, “This was an addition to the house.” He explained, “All metal and concrete. I jumped through hoops to move into it. I was getting a little sick of sharing a room with Derek and all his teen angst. It was the most sound proof room in the house.” He paused, “Incidentally, it was also the most well fireproofed.”

Stiles curled into himself. He wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to hear where this story was going. At the same time, he wasn’t about to ask Peter to stop.

“It took me twenty minutes to even realize that something was wrong.” He huffed, a self-deprecating laugh, “I thought my sister was trying to cook again.”

He closed his eyes as if visualizing the memory.

“I opened my window to get rid of the smell of smoke. Saw the flames crawling up the walls of the den.” He gestured toward the burned out shell of the room next door that must have once been the den he referred to. He rubbed his throat absently, “Screamed so loud it hurt.”

“I still feel guilty.” He continued. “I actually considered just staying in my room. I would survive if I stayed put. I knew that.” He glanced out the window, “You know, I probably would have if she hadn’t started to scream.”

His niece, Stiles realized. His daughter.

Stiles felt ill.

Peter’s eyes had sort of glazed over, lost in his own memories.

“She was dead by the time I got up there. I realize now that that was why she had stopped crying.”

It hadn’t stopped him from trying.

“I can still feel the fire licking my skin sometimes.” He said, “It hurt more than anything I had ever felt...at least until it stopped hurting at all. I think the numbness was worse.” He shook his head roughly before looking at Stiles. “You...you asked me about Laura.” He muttered.

“I did.” Stiles managed, “You don’t...I shouldn’t have. It’s none of my--”

“It is...relevent.” Peter shrugged.

That didn't mean that Stiles was prepared to know.

“How so?” He asked tentatively.

“She came back for a  reason.”

“The attacks--” Stiles stopped and felt his eyes go wide.

He was an idiot.

They were all idiots.

The blind leading the blind.

Peter laughed, “Now you are thinking like a left hand.”

Stiles ignored him, caught up in the revelation.

What attacks?

Laura Hale’s body had been the first.

Why hadn’t he realized this sooner?

“Derek said--”

“Derek did what he always does, put two and two together and come up with 34.” He sighed, “Math was never his strong suit.”

Stiles snorted. He looked at Peter, “Do you know why she was here?”

Peter shook his head, “Something was wrong with her.”

“Wrong?”

Peter sighed, “She attacked me.”

“Why?”

“Do I know?” Peter snapped. “I didn’t even know who she was before it was all over. I was drugged to the gills. I could barely distinguish my own scent, never mind hers, and it isn’t like I had ever seen her Alpha form.” He growled lowly, his appearance flashing as he momentarily lost control.

Stiles swallowed nervously and then in relief as the older man regained his control. He offered a tentative smile, “It’s fine. Stupid question. Go on.”

“She wasn’t acting right.” Peter half whispered. “Even if I couldn’t, she should have recognized me.”

“But she didn’t.”

“I would like to assume that my niece wouldn’t purposefully try to kill me, knowing that it was me.” Peter said, annoyed. “She wasn’t in control, I don’t know why.”

“Could someone have drugged her or something?”

“To make her _more_ volatile? That seems like a long shot.”

Stiles shrugged. It was an option.

“Besides, whatever it is only effects Alphas. It affected me afterwards and Derek now seems to be suffering the same thing.”

Wait, what?

“You didn’t honestly think his actions after my death were those of a rational man, did you? Even as enforcers we know better than to expose the pack willy-nilly to a bunch of teenagers. There is a process to offering and accepting the bite. He of all people would know better than to skip that.”

Well, when he put it that way.

“Something Enviromental then?” Stiles asked.

“Possibly, though it doesn’t explain why she came back in the first place.” He shook his head, “I’m looking into it.”

“Looking into it? Into what exactly? Also, how?”

“The internet, books, contacts, the usual.”

“The usual.” Stiles sighed.

“Nicked a book from your cousin that could prove fruitful.”

“Are you crazy?!” He frowned at Peter, “Do not answer that.”

“I am sure he knows already. he certainly hasn’t tried to get it back yet.”

Stiles knew that he was likely correct. If the book was dangerous Ari would never have let it out of his sight, never mind let Peter take it.

“What was it on?” He asked, exasperated.

“Druids.”

“Druids?” Stiles stared at him, “You think Deaton has something to do with it?”

“What? No.” Peter rolled his eyes, “He is hardly the only Druid in the world.”

“Yeah, but--”

“He isn’t even the only one in the area. They all live out of the territory  because of the pack but at least one has been coming in and out on the regular. Her day job is likely in town somewhere.”

“Shouldn’t I know that? I should know that.”

“She feels familiar. Like she belongs. She was here before you ever came into your powers. She doesn’t register as a threat. If you came into direct contact with her you would recognize her for what she is.”

“Oh. right.” He would have to keep an eye out.

“Ask your tutor. He could tell you more about others in the area, or at least tell you how to recognize them.” He sighed, “Regardless, back to the original point of this conversation.”

Stiles wasn’t totally sure that he even knew what that was anymore but nodded his consent nevertheless.

“Whatever it is, it isn’t something new. My sister showed signs of the effect before her passing as well. She was older, stronger...She had the mental strength to be the Alpha. But in the end it seemed to bring her down as well.” He paused thoughtfully, “Talia...Talia was always a little hot headed but she knew when to cool off. She rarely fought within the family, was never cruel or even abrasive. Her temper near the end was...vicious.”

Stiles could read between the lines. Peter’s relationship with his older sister had been twisted near the end of her life.

“Had anything changed? In the environment? In the family?” He asked.

“She started degrading not long after a visit from the Alpha pack, formerly known as the Western Council.”

“They were here?”

“Yes, quite. Talia was the head of the council at the time. Before you ask, I have only met Duke and Ennis previously,” he frowned at that, “But I remember now that Talia had mentioned a Kal before. Many times, they were good friends. I did not place the names.”

“Did they have something to do with it? What happened?”

“I don’t know. They had been meeting annually up until that point but, Talia and Duke fought over... _something_... and she tossed him, and the entire council, off of the territory. They did not meet again, the fire occurred two years later.”

Stiles was so not touching that kind of guilt complex right now. He didn’t need to know. “An emissary maybe?”

“None came with them. Even Deaton left town for the week.”

“So not them then.” Stiles frowned, “Have you tried asking Deaton?”

“No.” His answer was short but held plenty of bite. Peter and Deaton did not get along, Stiles knew that but this level of animosity was...new.

“Shouldn’t yo--”

“No.”

Okay, changing the subject now.

“Why haven’t you told Derek?”

“His judgment is clouded by the...whatever it is. I doubt he recognizes any issue in the way he is acting.”

“About Laura, Peter.”

The older man’s expression became guarded, “What would be the point?”

The point?

“The fact that it wasn’t really your fault?”

“She is still dead.”

“Were you supposed to just let her kill you?”

“Yes.”

Stiles flinched, more because of the answer than the growling tone it was supplied in.

“They had already mourned me along with the rest of the family. My death would have been less jarring to Derek in the end. Even before the fire...we were not close. Hadn’t been for years. None of them really spoke to me anymore, not even Talia. Only Alexa and Morgan still spoke to me regularly.” He sighed, “And I wonder how much of that was obligation for providing them my sperm.”

“Why?”

“I stupidly gave some very poor, unsolicited, advice that got someone killed.”

Stiles backed off and re-broached the subject of Laura which was somehow less of a minefield comparatively. “You don’t think she would have been upset had she killed you?”

“She was not like me, it would have cut deeply, but she would have moved on. She had Derek to worry about.”

“How do you know?”

“What?”

“She was changed, yeah? What if she had turned on Derek next? Or the rest of Beacon Hills for that matter?”

“She was stronger than that. She would never--”

“Turned on her family? Killed an innocent? Didn’t stop her from trying with you.” Peter was shutting down, he didn’t want to hear the truth. Didn’t want to sully the image he had of Laura. Stiles frowned and murmured “I know you miss her, and you feel guilty for her death but we might be better off this way.”

It sounded cruel even to Stiles’ own ears but he forged on. “Harsh as it is, Beacon Hills was safer at the hands of an already broken man than a woman who was not used to fighting off her broken thoughts. You had a purpose, as terrible as you were as the alpha you still managed reason most of the time. From the way you have described it, Laura didn’t have that.”

“She was always supposed to be Alpha.”

“She wasn’t a very good one now was she?” Stiles snapped in frustration, “She abandoned one of her pack, never tried to reestablish, and left the territory for the fucking vultures. She sucked as a guardian too when you think about it, she let her little brother quit school, left you alone and moved as far from you as possible and then tried to kill you.” Stiles’ eyes softened as he took in Peter’s wounded look, “Look, I am not saying she was a bad person. And maybe, under very different circumstances, she would have been a great alpha.” He took a deep breath, “I would have liked to meet her.” He told Peter, “But I know that, for me at least, I’m far better off knowing you over knowing her.”

“Things would have been totally different.”

“Not really though. I was always going to be Fae. For all the shit that you put us through I got something out of it that where I would have lost it were you dead instead of Laura. I wouldn’t have the Pack. I wouldn’t be prepared to deal with everything in my life going cockeyed at once. Has my life has gone to hell since you bit Scott, but if nothing else, I know how not to break now. For that I am beyond thankful to you. The Grzegorz Stilinski that existed before he met your crazy ass wouldn’t know how to survive in this new vortex of bullshit.”

“I was what then? Your trial by fire?” Peter scoffed.

Stiles laughed, “More like trial by active volcano but sure, let's go with that.”

“I still don’t like you Stilinski.”

“Believe me, feeling is totally mutual.”


	27. Chapter 27

Stiles knocked on the door for the fifth time and seriously contemplated kicking the damn thing down. “I can feel you in there, Asshole. Answer the freaking door!”

Stiles heard the click of the deadbolt and stepped back as Raj opened the door bleary-eyed, barechested, and utterly confused about his presence, “Stiles?”

Stiles pushed past him and sat at the little kitchen table in the corner of the room. “What could make an Alpha lose control. We think it's Druid-y.”

“What? The fuck, man? What are you doing here at,” He glanced over at the alarm clock and groaned “4:30 in the morning?”

“You are my tutor, yes? Well, tutor.” He gestured at the other seat.

“Seriously? Later. There has to be some sort of rule against waking people up at disgusting hours of the morning and demanding answers to questions they don’t even understand.” Raj whined as he  grabbed a t-shirt off the back of the couch and pulled it over his head.

“Yeah, well.” Stiles shrugged, “Not later, Prasad. I need answers now.”

“I hate you. No wonder no one else was willing to volunteer for this shit. Other Warlocks suck.”

“Do I look like I care? My territory, my rules. Now start talking.”

Raj sat down on his bed and blinked rapidly before rubbing sand out of his eyes and frowning at Stiles. “Repeat the question.”

“Druid-y thing that can harm an Alpha were’s control, go.”

“Something wrong with your pet Alpha?”

“Not my pet.”

“Why not ask the Emissary?”

“A. it's too early,” Raj snorted at that, “and B. Not really a fan, remember?”

“Right, fine. Let me think.” He leaned back casually, hands behind his head and resting against the headboard. “Okay, I need more information. What exactly are we talking about here? Issues with turning? Shifting? Personality? What?”

“Trying to kill people that they care about. Fits of temper. Irrationality. Possibly mutation of Alpha form.”

“Interesting.” Raj looked at him curiously before getting up and pulling his laptop out of his backpack. He settled in the seat across from Stiles. He typed something into the password box and Stiles jumped a little when he saw  the older teen push some kind of Magicks into the device.

“Whoa!”

Raj grinned at him, “Gremlin made, those little terrors are about the only Fae that can make tech and Magicks work together. I have you to thank for being allowed this bad boy. Only Masters usually get full access to the archives but since you need teaching, I need information.” He nodded to the screen, “This will take a few minutes to work its way through the Seals. In the meantime, tell me what you know.”

Stiles sighed, “Not much more than that. Peter is the only one that has experienced both sides of the coin and he’s not really…”

“Right. Okay. You may no more than you think though so let’s start from the beginning. You said violence?”

“Yes.”

“Just homicidal urges or…”

“No, general roughness too.” Stiles said thinking of Derek’s idea of training the betas.

“Okay. Mutation, what do you mean--What the hell is that?!”

“Peter’s Alpha form.” Stiles said as he let Raj pull his cellphone out of his hand to examine the image that Stiles had taken from Lydia’s phone.

“That is not a wolf!” Raj muttered, “It’s a--”

“Homicidal demon gorilla?”

“Possibly.”

“Exactly, mutation.”

“Your Alpha, he look like this too?”

“No. Not really. He doesn’t really use his full Alpha form much though. I mean it looks similar I guess but not…”

“As horrific?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Stiles shrugged, “More wolfy at least.”

“Right.” Raj stared at the picture for a moment before turning to the computer and typing something in. “It looks like corruption. The land, maybe.” He told Stiles as he typed. “Why do you think Druid?”

“Peter is fairly convinced.”

“Okay, we’ll start there and expand if necessary.” He frowned at the screen and then typed something else in. “Ugh. I need special permission to access that.” He muttered, “Let me try…” He pumped his fist with a grin, “Bingo. Take that Darrigan.”

“What?”

“The archivist. He thinks he is so fucking clever but he left in a huge loophole.” Raj scanned the page, “Okay, yeah. Druidic is probably right.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, corrupted land, definitely. Question is, corrupted how?”

“Explain.”

“Druidic magic relies on the Druid’s connection to the land and to the natural world. Weres too for that matter, most Preters have some connection to the land they live on and changes to that land can have some serious consequences.”

“That makes sense.”

“Alpha’s and such have an even deeper connection. Druid’s however, they can move on and find new land if something goes wrong. It's not that easy for packs.”

“Shouldn’t I have noticed? I mean this is my territory.”

“This level of damage? Multiple Alphas? We are talking old damage. Besides, You’re not a Faery or anything, Warlocks and Sorcerers aren’t all that concerned with nature. Our physical territory is arbitrary, it makes it easier to set boundaries for others but that's it.”

“But…”

“Your territory is the wolves, Stiles. Warlocks lay their claims on magicks themselves. There aren't that many of us total but it can be a mess if someone’s territory decides to up and move. See, that is why most Warlocks attach themselves to a singular person and claim borders around them. A mate, a child, whatever, doesn’t matter as long as it is someone that isn’t likely to up and move away and taking the Warlock’s territory with it. You claimed the wolves which, while a bit weird, works for you because they don’t much like leaving their territory anyways.”

“But I can feel the Alpha Pack when they approach the physical borders, or you.”

“You are feeling that through your Alpha. He has a solidly physical territory so you can use his link with you and with the land to monitor the territory. Like I said, weird but it works for you. Regardless, you should feel an attack on the pack even if they are out of ‘territory’.”

“Why couldn’t I feel Kali attack Peter then? Not until he entered the physical borders.”

“Peter Hale is ten kinds of fucked up. Physically, mentally, magickally, you name it he’s is a poor example of it’s health. Even I can tell that you are his only real tether back to the pack. Even that is tenuous at best given that you two only recently seem to even remotely tolerate each other's existence. Your bond to him is getting stronger, exponentially actually, but his tie to the pack is actually getting weaker.”

Stiles frowned, the beta’s were trying. Sort of. They admitted that he could be useful at least. They did see him as pack even if they didn’t really like the idea.

“It’s an issue he has with the Alpha. Or, rather, that the Alpha has with him. Mind you, I have only talked to them a little bit, your Alpha seems particularly offended by my presence.”

“It’s not personal. Derek is particularly offended by everyone. Peter is the more sociable of the pair and I am still mostly convinced that he is a sociopath.” Stiles told him, “Derek Hale is a particularly startling brand of asocial.”

“Healthy.” 

“Tell me about it.” He sighed, “I knew that they have a seriously crappy relationship, which is not entirely unwarranted, but I didn’t realize that it was effecting Peter’s standing in the pack.”

“It’s not just him. The whole pack is hanging by a, very strained, thread that goes by the names of Stiles and Scott.” He shook his head, “It's not good. Not for such a young pack.”

“Right.”

“It would make the alpha susceptible to corruption and it’s going to tear you apart is something isn’t done.”

“Wonderful.” Stiles looked at him and Raj shrugged “Right now you are the dog walker and they are about to take off in six different directions.”

“So, I’m on the verge of being metaphysically drawn and quartered?”

“That’s the gist, yeah.”

“Perfect.” He rubbed his eyes, “Could the corrupted land be cau--”

“Nope sorry, totally different set of issues. this part is definitely the Hales. That is one seriously fucked up family. I don’t know what happened there but it had to have been some kind of hell.” 

Yeah.

That sounded about right.

The worst part was that even Stiles didn’t know the whole story so he had no clue how to fix it.

Better to start with the issues he had a chance of solving.

“What kind of corruption are we talking here?”

“Huh?” Raj frowned at him and shook his head before scanning the computer screen again and then turning it to face Stiles. He pointed to a passage about halfway down the screen. 

“Darach?”

“Yep. Damage to the ley lines in the area can do some weird things to the land.”

“Ley lines?”

“Yeah, that’s what they call them for the most part. The natural reservoirs of energy that magicians draw their power from. They tend to like the convergence points best. I guess these,” He indicated another section, “Nemetons are important or something. Granted, I know little about Druids -the majority of which is the many and varied ways that they totally suck.”

“Do you know what a nemeton is?”

“According to this? An altar thing on a convergence point used for ritual purposes.”

Stiles glared at him. He could read.

“Seriously, this offers only the bare minimum in facts. Just that touching one is bad juju. You’d have to ask a Druid for more information.” Raj shrugged. “I’ll ask around and see if I can get more info but realistically...you do have a Druid in residence, do you not? Might as well make him earn his keep.”

Stiles sighed, he had seriously hoped to avoid asking Deaton but it was looking more and more like he wasn’t going to have a choice. He turned to leave tossing a thank you over his shoulder.

“Was that sarcasm?” Raj groused as he reached the door.

“You would know if I was being sarcastic, subtlety is not one of my strong suits. You...well, okay you didn’t exactly help but at least I have a lead to start the interrogation.”

“Well,” Raj offered a tight, fake, smile, “Glad to be of service then.”

Stiles scoffed, “Yeah, no you’re not.”

“No, I couldn’t care less honestly, Leave so I can go back to sleep.”

“Lazy.”

“Fuck you.”

***

He couldn’t last much longer, Stiles thought as he banged harshly on the front door of the Vet Clinic. He knew for a fact that sound echoed horribly in the offices. “Deaton,” He shouted, “I can see the light on! You aren’t fooling anyone! Open the door, Deaton!” 

Stiles peered through the window and saw a shadow shift slightly in the other room. Oh, so this is how he want’s to play? Stiles glared and grabbed the door handle angrily and pushing the annoyed tingle under his skin into his palm.

Say goodbye to having a locking door, asshole.

He grinned as the door swung open with the force of Stiles’ disintegrating the locking mechanism. Have fun explaining that one to you customers.

He stormed into the office and snapped viciously at the startled looking Druid sitting behind his computer. “Yo, how about answering when someone talks to you?”

“Did you just break into my place of business, Mr. Stilinski?”

“Why? Gonna call the cops on me? Stiles sneered, “What are you going to go with? The Sheriff’s  kid made my lock disappear? Have fun at Eichen.”

Deaton scowled, “What do you want Mr. Stilinski?”

“Information. First off, is there corrupted land within the wolves territory? Followed up by, what the hell is a nemeton and is there a Darach in the area? Also, what exactly is a Darach?”

“Excuse me?”

“None of this cryptic BS, either. Straight answers only, please before I decide I’m even more anti-druid than I already am and kick you out of my territory.”

Deaton frowned but did not protest making Stiles realize, a little smugly, that he had all the power now. If he wanted Deaton gone, or anyone really, he could easily, and somewhat violently, throw then the fuck out of his territory. Stiles found that that revelation really worked for him and wondered vaguely if he could wrangle a way to get Harris the hell off his land without scaring the locals.

The vet sighed heavily and steepled his hands against the top of his desk, “A Darach is a corrupt Druid, a black magic user that is often involved in things like sacrifices. A Nemeton is a sacred place where the leylines converge, they are used to magnify the results of our rituals.” He  explained.

“Corrupted land?”

“Yes,” He admitted, “There is some, though it is healing. A very old scar on the land and it heals slowly.”

“How slowly are we talking about?” Stiles growled, “This is affecting Alphas so it obviously isn’t fast enough.”

“The alpha pack?”

“No...well, probably but I am referring to the Hale Alphas, Talia, Laura, Peter, and now Derek.”

Deaton raised his eyebrow at him condescendingly, “And what exactly has led you to such a conclusion?”

“Peter thin--”

“And you believe him, of all people?”

“Unlike some people I know, Peter doesn’t fuck around. He’s a bastard but he’s an honest one.” Stiles snapped, “He knows well that nothing bites more than the truth.”

“I have not lied to--”

Stiles couldn’t help but snort derisively, “Do not shit the shitter, Doc. You may not be a liar but you are about as honest as--well, me.”

Which was to say, only when it suited their needs.

It so rarely did.

“So, yeah.” Stiles offered, “I am, absolutely going to follow up on information he gives me under the assumption that it is, to the best of his knowledge, true. Generally, I’ve realized, that is the safer bet.”

Deaton looked offended but Stiles was beyond fed up with secrets at this point.

The vet crossed his arms and shifted in his seat but did not stand, unwilling to give in to Stiles. To get angry. “There was an accident, long ago.” He glanced up at Stiles, “And don’t ask me how long, I have no idea. It occurred at the Nemeton and corrupted it and as such it was sealed away so that it might heal. It should have no effect on any Alphas.”

“Should?” Stiles didn’t like that, “And you know for a fact that it is sealed? Still?”

Deaton rolled his eyes, “Yes, Stiles. It would have taken a sacrifice, a human one, to reawaken it before it had fully healed.”

“I don’t remember asking how it gets unsealed. I asked if it  _ was  _ unsealed.”

“I do not enter the area, the land is far too corrupt for me to use any magic in its vicinity.”

“What you are saying is you have no idea if the nemeton is, in fact, as sealed as you are claiming it is.”

“Nothing has changed in the way that is has felt since I moved into the area years ago. All I can feel is the same creeping evil that it has always exuded.”

Stiles stared at him, his mouth hanging open, “The same? And you didn’t think that that might be something you should look into, Alan? If this thing is supposedly healing shouldn’t it lessen with time?”

“As I said, it heals very slowly--”

“Or not at all.” Stiles snapped, “It isn’t healing.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You don’t know anything! What if it is opened?”

“It’s not.”

“Do  _ not  _ fuck with me! What happens if it is unsealed?”

“There is no way for me to predict the kind of damage that unchecked corruption of that level could be causing.” Deaton refused to meet Stiles’ eyes.

“You were the Hale Emissary! You should have all over that potential danger!” He shouted at him, completely fed up, “You should have known, did Talia know?”

“What?”

“Did she know that she was raising her pack on corrupted land?”

“She understood the situation.”

“Did she now? Did she actually know how much danger that it could turn out to be?” Stiles paced angrily, “Where?”

“The forest.”

“In the reserve? Where people camp and hike and party? Where the pack runs? You have got to be kidding me.”

Stiles could feel the burn of ice crawling under his skin, something that he was fast learning signaled his warlock nature coming to a head. He wanted to rip him apart. There was a threat on his territory. A threat to his family, to his wolves. To his wolves and whatever the hell Peter was now.

The nemeton was a threat.

Deaton was a threat.

A traitor.

Selfish.

“If you were to go to the nemeton, would you know?” Stiles asked grabbing supplies of the desk.

“Know what?”

“At a close proximity,” Stiles bit out, “would you know what it was doing? If it is sealed or not?”

“I suppose I would but it is unlik--”

Stiles finished scribbling on the paper he had grabbed and dragged Deaton out of his office and right out the still open front door of the  clinic. He slapped the hastily made  ‘Opening Late’ sign onto the door and shoved the vet at the Jeep harshly. “Get in.”

“Mr. Stilinski, I have appointments.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow at him as he slammed the car door shut once Deaton was inside, “You’re going to have much bigger problems than a missed appointment if that thing isn’t sealed.”


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy guys...This is going to be the last post for a couple of weeks due to my previously mentioned move, sorry. But you can have this chappie earlier than usual if that helps. Also I know that I have sucked at replying to everyone for the past few updates, I'm really sorry about that. I assure you I have read and cooed over each and every one of them, I just haven't had the time to comment back with everything going on in my life. Also I have no idea how to answer some of you without massive spoilers so...yeah. Anywhoodle doodle poodle, If you all enjoy my writing style, not just the story, I wish to ask you a question so please take a gander at the end notes and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

It leached into the earth, tainting it. A blackened, infected, scar on the otherwise pristine land.

Disgusting.

Stiles stared at the nemeton. He vaguely heard Deaton vomiting again in the background. The third time in as many minutes.

He deserved it.

Raj was right.

Peter was right.

_Peter was right._

And now there was a disease in his territory.

Stiles knew that he was damned lucky that his powers did not come from the earth. He didn’t have the same connection to the abomination disguised as an old tree stump as Deaton or the Pack did.

He stomped on yet another mutated centipede as it squirmed by his feet.

Rats, roaches, snakes, and spiders.

Unclean.

Corrupted.

Abhorrent.

And worst of all, he could feel them.

Derek mostly, but they were all there, Peter, Scott, Isaac, Boyd, Erica, Jackson…

A lingering presence.

It was feeding on them. Using their connection to the land to gather it’s own power.

Stiles kicked out viciously, snapping off several sprouts of twisted and deformed regrowth and grinding them to dust under his heel.

A temporary solution at best, he knew. But it was all he could do at the moment.

Another retch from behind him.

Stiles pulled out his cellphone.

***

“I think I’m gonna--” Iggy was unable to even finish the sentence before he had collapsed to his hands and knees, puking into the dirt.

Ari frowned deeply, looking thoroughly disturbed. “It hasn’t been long since it was unsealed but it isn’t recent either. Years.”

“Before the fire,” Stiles agreed. “Peter says it was affecting Talia as well.”

“It certainly explains a lot. This thing is corrupting everything and anything that it can reach. Alpha’s would have the deepest connection to the land.”

"How do we…”

 "Fix it?” Ari asked, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know that it can be fixed. At least in the way that you mean.”

 “If we destroyed it?”

 "It’s corruption has spread too far. Something is clearly using it.”

 “The Darach?”

 “No, well, perhaps but no.”

 “It’s a Fae.” Iggy coughed still looking green.

 “Right.” Ari nodded at his brother.

 “A...A Fae?” Stiles stared at them and then glanced back at the nemeton.

 “Yes.” Iggy said, face twisted in revulsion. “Old, and dark, and so, so very twisted. But certainly a Fae.”

 “The Fates…”

 “Maybe even old enough to have escaped that. I don’t know. Whatever it is it is so exceptionally wrong. I would bet that most of what we can feel from this thing is actually coming from the Fae.”

 “And no one noticed this thing move in?” Stiles snapped.

 “It’s been here for a long time, Stiles.”

 “How long?”

 “I don’t know. But given the extent of this corruption there is no way whoever it is has a Fate. Which means that they have to be old enough to have attempted to sever.”

 “Sever?”

 Ari sighed, “There are stories, old legends, that when the fates first attempted to take hold of the Fae someone had found a way to destroy the connection.”

 “It didn’t work.”

 “Oh, no. It did work. It hasn’t been attempted in over 500 years though, no one has been able to correct the problem.”

 “But if it worked--” Stiles questioned, head turning between his cousins, waiting for an explanation.

 “It corrupts the Fae. Totally, completely, and as far as anyone can tell, irrevocably. Makes a monster of them.” Iggy explained as he leaned against a nearby tree. “It’s the presence of Magicks that makes a Fae and that is what gives the Fates their power over us.”

 “And this severing…”

 “Burned it right out.” Iggy nodded weakly.

 “Leaving them powerless.” Stiles countered.

 “Sure. If they were like you or me. Like Raj, or Lennon, or Ryan. Without Magicks we have nothing to manipulate. We wouldn’t survive being cut out from Magicks like that. Most Fae aren’t like us, though. Most of them would survive, changed to the very core. Broken and twisted like nothing you’ve ever seen but alive and with their power intact.” He nodded at the nemeton, “This though, this limits things. Not many fae can use Human Magic to their advantage.”

 “How narrow?” Ari asked.

 “Get me the fuck out of the godforsaken place, let me breath and shower, then give me 24. I’ll get a list together. It’ll take longer for anything more specific than a species, though.”

 “Good.” Ari nodded.

 Stiles frowned, “Not to put pressure on but what about Derek and the pack?”

 “Not much we can do until we get more information. For starters, Keep them the hell out of the preserve.” Iggy said with a grimace. “I don’t know how they have lasted this long. No one comes here. You and Ari, that’s it. Well, maybe see if Peter can handle it.”

 “Peter?”

 “Not like he’s going to let anyone else be our test subject.”

 Stiles stared at Iggy.

 “Grzegors, we are going to need to find a way to stop the spread, and fast. You’re going to have to see how it affects a wolf as we try different means of doing so.” Ari answered his unspoken question.

“First thing’s first.” Iggy mumbled as they moved back to the path, “We are going to need a whole lot of mountain ash.”

Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me again,  
> I am going to preface my question with a (semi-)brief explanation but if you just want me to get to the meat of it skip reading until the last line of this note. So, here goes nothing: 
> 
> I'm one of those writers. You know the ones. It is not mentally or physically possible for me to only work on one thing at a time. When I try, I lose interest and inspiration really fast (and believe me, I have tried many times). This means I am constantly dabbling here and there with different ideas and concepts and once in a while there is a baby story line that really sticks with me and I continuously go back and play with it. These have all ended up in a file with the rest of my writing and given that some of you actually seem pretty into FoF I have been thinking about milking your attention in order to seek out the inspiration to actually pursue writing and possibly putting some of these stories out there for you all to read eventually. Be warned that if I get even a single yes vote I'm probably going to do it because I have such a severe desperation for input it is actually getting painful. So onward to the actual question...
> 
> Would anyone be interested in a "Story" that deals with excerpts from all of the different bunnies that I am currently dealing with in order to supply me with interest, ideas, and inspiration to write?


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, friends. I am back. I definitely meant to post sooner than this but it turns out moving cross country two months before you actually have an official place to live is sort of chaotic. I have gotten zero writing done and feel so beat it's pathetic. Now, I am planning to keep up with posting again but I wouldn't hold my breath for the once a week thing, I promise no more than two weeks between posts though so that is definitely better than this was.
> 
> Anywhoodledoodlepoodle... I am going to be doing the thing that I mentioned the last time (the writing sample/bunny files thing) but I need to settle in a little more first, I will likely make the introduction post this weekend and start posting actual writing sporadically after Easter.
> 
> Thanks for hanging in there with me, guys and be on the look out for any errors, I caught a couple more just before writing this so who knows if there are more.
> 
> Hugs,  
> Dire

 

“Now, normally I would rub the fact that I was right in everyone’s face but given the circumstances that seems petty even for me.” Peter commented as he prowled around the edge of the ring of newly planted wolfsbane.

 

“Yeah, well. Next time you have thoughts, please let me know sooner.” Stiles muttered and he fiddled with the small band in his hand, tongue poking out from his teeth as he tied the last knot. “Arm please.”

 

Peter raised a brow but held out his left arm allowing Stiles to fasten the little hemp and wolfsbane bracelet around his wrist. He frowned and sniffed at it.

 

“Let's not snort the poisonous plant matter, yeah?” Stiles snapped, smacking him on the arm.

 

“I’m not feeling anything.”

 

“Then the ward is working.”

 

“This thing is going to let me walk through mountain ash?”

 

“Apparently.”

 

“Interesting.” He mumbled fiddling with the bracelet lightly.

 

Stiles rolled his eyes, “Step over the plants, please.”

 

“Of course.” Peter stepped over the ring of flowers and moved closer to the mountain ash ring. “It is fascinating, this power of yours.” He said, bending over to examine the concrete-like ring.

 

“Better than chancing it blowing away.”

 

“Smart. Crude, but smart.”

 

Stiles shrugged, “Didn’t have much time to think about how to do this more elegantly.”

 

“True.” Peter extended a hand over the barrier, carefully, and grinned when it passed through. “Fascinating.” He stood and crossed over the ring completely. He cringed back immediately, “What _is_ that?”

 

“The barrier was blocking it from your senses but it isn’t enough. It doesn’t prevent the spread of corruption, only the feeling of those outside the ring. It’s not good enough.”

 

“It’s…”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Stiles watched him carefully, “Try the second ring.”

 

Peter took a deep breath, steeling himself, and crossed the second barrier. Stiles followed quickly and caught the were as he stumbled.

 

“This is uncomfortable to say the least.” Peter said not even trying to stand on his own for a minute.

 

“Hey, if it helps your doing a hell of a lot better than Iggy and Deaton did.”

 

Peter frowned not really listening, “This is it.”

 

“What?”

 

“This is what I felt as an Alpha. Heady, vicious, evil.” He growled lowly, “One more line.”

 

Stiles frowned at him as Peter’s eyes’ flashed. “Maybe  we shouldn’t.”

 

“I’m already here.” Peter grumbled.

 

“Okay.” Stiles followed Peter over the last barrier and cringed as he felt the nemeton grasp for the new source of power. “Right, that feels disgusting. You okay?”

 

“I feel slow, angry.” Peter growled, “So angry.” His features changed in a flash.

 

Stiles was never going to get used to the new look Peter was sporting. “It’s sucking power from you like a straw.”

 

“Funny, I don’t feel weaker.” Peter said. “The opposite really.”

 

That was interesting, and worrying.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I feel more powerful but--” Peter shook his head, clearly agitated. “No, this is wrong.”

 

“Peter, let’s go back. That’s enough for now.”

 

“I don’t...I can’t...I…” Peter suddenly bolted, retreating back behind the barriers in an instant. Stiles jogged after him. The older man looked up at him from his position crouched, panting, near the treeline. His features quickly settled back to normal but he looked completely unsettled. “We need to be kept away.”

 

“I think so.” Stiles agreed. They would have to find a better way to set up and test the barriers.

 

“No. You don’t understand.” Peter stared at him, wild-eyed and desperate. “There is something there. Something vile.”

 

“We know, a Fae. We are looking into --”

 

“You don’t know.” Peter snapped, “It tried to take me! Trapped, snared, caught on its claws. I almost couldn’t… Do not let another wolf come here. Allow no one to come.”

 

“We have to find a way to--”

 

“Find another way! Stay away from it. Have to stay away.” Peter tore off into the preserve alone before Stiles could stop him, desperate to get away.

 

“Peter? Peter!” Stiles screamed after him.

 

He was long gone.

***

 

Stiles spent an hour searching for Peter before deciding he was going to need some help.

 

“Houston, we have a--”

 

“Lose something?” Matt asked before Stiles got a chance to finish. He indicated for Stiles to follow him up the stairs.

 

Stiles gaped weakly when he entered his room to find Peter curled up in a ball on his bed in wolf form, dead to the world.

 

“Seriously?! I just spent an hour searching for him and he was here?” He whisper-shouted at Matt who shrugged at him and led him back out of the room.

 

“He showed up at the door half an hour ago, which you would have known had you not left this on your desk.”

 

Stiles grimaced as he accepted the phone. “So, that’s where I left it.”

 

“Yeah, that’s where you left it.” A different voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

 

Stiles looked up with his eyes wide, “Uncle David?”

 

“Hey, Kiddo.”

 

Stiles grinned and hugged the burly man, “When did you get here?”

 

“About ten minutes before him.” He gestured up the stairs. “Dad went to bug Tommy-boy at the station.”

 

“It so good to see you!” Stiles laughed hugging him again. “It feels like forever.”

 

“Wish it was under better circumstances.”

 

Stiles sighed heavily, “Ain’t that the truth.” He settled into the couch with a pained moan, “It’s been a long day.”

 

“So I heard.” His Uncle said. “What exactly happened to the wolf? He collapsed before we could get anything out of him.”

 

“He freaked.” Stiles said, bluntly. “Whatever it is we are dealing with via nemeton is beyond bad. All I could get out of him before he bolted was that everyone needs to stay away from that thing and that that Fae might have attempted to posses him.”

 

“That doesn’t sound good.” Matt said.

 

“Way not good, yeah. the barriers mask the senses but the corruption is still spreading.” Stiles nodded.

 

“I see.” Stiles’ Uncle frowned, “If it is trying to take possession of someone that could narrow things down for Iggy. Has to be something either completely without corporeal form of that can shed its corporeal form easily.”

 

“There a lot of Fae that can pull that party-trick?” Stiles asked.

 

“More than you would think but not that many that could pull something like this.”

 

“Okay, great.”

 

Matt stood up, “I’ll go let Val and Iggy know what you said. that should help them narrow things down.”

 

Uncle David nodded, “I’ll call Ari and let him know you’re home.”

 

Both men left the room and Stiles closed his eyes tight trying to squeeze out his tension. Opening them with a flutter he grabbed his cell and found the number that he had stolen from Peter’s phone. Time to rouse another wolf.


	30. Chapter 30

“We have a problem.”

 

Stiles groaned, slumping in his seat and waving Lydia off weakly, “Begone Satan. Back of the line. My life has no more room for problems, dance card is totally filled up. Thank you and goodnight.”

 

“Too bad.” She said with a roll of her eyed. Stiles saw right through her and sat up straight in his seat again.

 

“Lyds? What is it?”

 

“I screamed.”

 

Oh, fantastic. Because what this day needed was a dead body.

 

“Who, where?”

 

“The Woods.” She hesitated before murmuring, “Stiles, someone killed them.”

 

He had assumed as much but the look on her pale face told him that there was more to the story. “Okay.”

 

“It’s...not pretty.”

 

When was death ever pretty?

 

“Did you see something in particular?”

 

She glared at him, “I’m a Banshee, not an oracle.”

 

“I meant-- you found the body, right?”

 

She nodded, “Oh, right. I, yes. I did.” She hesitated again, “It was very strange.”

 

Stiles got up and poured her a glass of water before encouraging her to continue, She took a sip, “It looked like he was asleep. But when I got closer...I don’t know how I could have mistaken it, he was...it was so strange.”

 

Stiles nodded, “You call my dad?”

 

“He told me to come here. To leave before he got there.”

 

His father would make the ‘discovery’ himself. “He’ll fill in the blanks later. You want something to eat? Tea?”

 

“Tea, tea would be good.” She whispered.

 

He started the kettle and opened up the tea tin peering inside, “Um, we have lipton, some kind of weird monkey picked stuff that Ari brought home from the mall, and a couple packs of honey ginger lemon stuff.” Stiles added tea to the grocery list on the fridge door. Mama McCall had left behind the ginger stuff and with Ari, Lennon, Allison, Lydia, and (he would never live it down) Jackson hanging around they would need more on hand.

 

“Monkey--You know what, nevermind. Ginger, please.”

 

Stiles ripped open the packet and placed the teabag into one of those weird, overly sentimental, sister mugs- another Mama McCall remnant and one of the last remaining mugs left clean. He had to run the dishwasher, bad.

 

He busied himself with the little cleaner pods and jetdry as he waited for the water to boil.

 

“You didn’t come to school.” Lydia commented from her seat at the table.

 

“Busy, busy day.” He told her, “Dad called me in with a cold.”

 

“Your puppy was all in a tizzy when you didn’t show up.”

 

Stile frowned, “I texted Scott.”

 

“Wrong Puppy,” She laughed, “Derek showed up four times at school. I guess Peter was missing too?”

 

“I needed a labwolf.” Stiles explained, “‘Course, I nearly got zombiewolf possessed. Fun time were had by no one.”

 

The kettle whistled shrilly and Stiles poured the water into the mug before setting it in front of her. “Milk? Sugar?”

 

“Honey, if you have it.” She laughed a little self deprecatingly, “Good for the vocal chords.” He offered her a small smile and an amber coloured bear. “Your stream of text to Scott were less than easily understood.” She commented as she stirred some of the honey into her drink.

 

“Long story short, we have a Fae with an evil tree stump in the preserve.”

 

She stared at him from over the top of her mug, “I’m going to need the slightly longer version.”

 

Stiles snorted, “You say that now.” He shook his head and nodded at her mug, “Alright, but drink up, don’t let it go cold.”

 

Lydia smiled a little and took a deep sip, settling into her seat for story time.

***

“Peter is--”

 

“Hogging my bed for the, what, third time this week?” Stiles said over his shoulder as he chopped onions for the chili he was making. “Drain those cans of beans for me?”

 

“What?”

 

“You are currently the least useless sous chef in this house, work, slave.”

 

“My Uncle--”

 

“Is sleeping off a bad case of near possession. Which you would have know if you would answer your phone.”

 

“I, uh…”

 

“You forgot it, didn’t you?”

 

Matt snorted as he flipped the pages of his magazine, “Like you’re one to talk. Also, I resent that remark about my competence in the kitchen.”

 

“I know how you are sustaining my cousin, but seriously, how have you been surviving?”

 

“Take out. You don’t complain about Val’s poor cooking skills.”

 

“The man drinks blood, he can’t be expected to understand how to season a dish. If it makes you feel any better I totally mocked his lack of ability in cooking before I found out about the blood thing.”

 

“How exactly did you come to the conclusion that I might be competent in the kitchen?” Derek questioned, even as he dumped the first can into the colander. “Rinsed?”

 

“Yes. And Peter doesn’t cook and he might have previously mentioned that Laura’s ability to burn water came from your mother so, someone was keeping you people alive in New York and here. Considering your appetites I figure that take out is a no go since you aren’t living in a box under a bridge.” Stiles shrugged, “Besides, it’s not like this part is rocket science. Do all the cans at once, it’s faster that way.”

 

Derek rolled his eyes but followed Stiles’ instructions. They worked in tandem for a few minutes, Derek moving on to chopping vegetables quickly, the silence only disturbed by Matt’s pages turning.

Derek set down the knife that he was using to chop up lettuce for the salad and crossed his arms. Apparently he had come to his senses. He leaned against the counter and stared at the back of Stiles’ head.  Stiles tried to ignore him but between the weight of his stare and Matt’s less than subtle snickering he eventually gave in.

 

He sighed, “Speak.”

 

“What happened today?”

 

“A lot. You’re going to need to be more specific.”

 

“You know what I am talking about, Stiles. Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you. What happened to Peter?”

 

“I told you, he was almost possessed.”

 

“Thank you.” Derek sneered, “By what, where, why?”

 

“Well, I only actually have an answer for that second one.” Derek looked at him expectantly and Stiles looked away, “The reserve.” Derek got very tense and Stiles glared at him, “You are not allowed anywhere near it until we figure out what exactly is going on.”

 

“You have to know something.” Derek growled.

 

“What we know is that it is far more dangerous than this Alpha pack nuisance will ever be.” Peter said, matter of factly, as he entered the room.

 

“Welcome back.” Stiles joked, “Have a nice nap?”

 

“Quite.” The older man pulled out the chair across from Matt and sat down looking beyond exhausted. “No one should enter the reserve until Mr. Stilinski has found a way to fully contain the issue.”

 

“And how long is that going to take?” Derek snapped, brusquely.

 

“As long as it needs to.” Peter replied with a glare.

 

“The pack needs a place to run.”

 

“I’m going to work as quickly as I can, Sourwolf but it’s not going to be a cakewalk.” Stiles snapped back at him. “It never should have gotten to this point. We still don’t know what caused it to unseal or what the hell is living in it.”

 

“Actually…” Peter hesitated, which was weird, and darted his gazed between his nephew and the table, which was weirder.

 

“What aren’t you telling me?” Stiles growled. “You’re the one that brought up the issue in the first place, what do you know that I don’t.”

 

“I didn’t realize it until later. I was preoccupied. I didn’t keep you out of the loop on purpose...this time.” Peter frowned at him, looking almost wounded at the insinuation.

 

Stiles squinted, maybe he  _ was  _ possessed. 

 

Peter looked at Derek, “The root house.”

 

Stiles stared at him, confused but Derek seemed to recognize the reference immediately- and judging by the tension in his shoulders it wasn’t a pleasant thought.

 

“What about it? Why were you there?”

 

“Apparently, it’s a nemeton.”

 

“A what?” Derek barked.

 

“Sacred Druid altar thing.” Stiles explained vaguely. “Root house? You know the place?”

 

“All of us children used to play near there.” Peter explained, ignoring Derek’s warning snarl, “There is a room...a root cellar. Under the trunk. It was our hideaway...a clubhouse of sorts.”

 

Stiles’ eyes widened, “Deaton never stopped you?!”

 

Peter laughed, “Emissary Deaton was never one to get involved in the pack’s life. I only met him a handful of times before the fire and even then, only in passing when he would have a meeting with Talia. I was never allowed to sit in on those meetings, either.”

 

“Did your mother know?” Matt directed the question at Derek, “That you all were playing over there?”

 

“Yes. Her and her Sister and Brothers, the older ones, did the same thing when they were young.”

 

Peter nodded his agreement, “She showed Laura once she thought she was old enough to watch the rest of us.” He glanced at Stiles, “There was nothing like that taint there when we were young. I never found the same comfort there that Laura and Derek did, but it was nothing so sinister. I’m simply not fond of  _ bugs  _ and  _ dirt _ .”

 

Normally Stile would have laughed at the look of utter disgust on Peter’s face, now was not the time.

 

“Did something happen?” Stiles asked. “Something that might have unsealed the nemeton, I mean.”

 

“Yes.” Peter said. “And it would certainly fit with my sister’s degeneration.” He looked disturbed and mournful.

 

Matt hissed in a breath and whispered gently “Who?”

 

“My girlfriend.” Derek answered, voice devoid of emotion. “I killed her.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of curiosity, how interested would people be in 8tracks playlists for my stories?

Stiles watched Derek pace his yard, carefully. the man looked torn apart and Peter looked guilty for ever bringing it up.

 

Not that he had really had a choice.

 

“I can’t say I saw that confession coming.” Iggy said from his spot, leaning on the living room door jamb. He had come in just as Derek had made his declaration before storming outside.

 

Matt looked at Peter, “Want to explain to us what, exactly, your nephew is talking about?”

 

Peter shook his head, “It’s not my place to --”

 

“This is what you meant.” Stiles said, not turning away from the window.

 

“What?”

 

“You said that you gave some bad advice that ended up with someone dead. This is what you meant.” he said, bluntly. Peter stared at him and Stiles shrugged, “Am I wrong?”

 

He looked away. “No.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I’m sure Derek would rather--”

 

Stiles snorted, “Yeah, pretty sure he wouldn’t.”

 

Peter frowned but acquiesced, “Derek was fifteen and dating this little human, Paige. They met at school, I suppose. Anyways, he was concerned...keeping secrets is hard on a relationship.”

 

“Yeah, sucks  pretty hard.” Iggy said.

 

“I never understood why he came to me instead of Laura. I was never close enough to a human to even consider...it would have made more sense to go to Talia.”

 

Stiles had to agree, Peter didn’t seem like anyone’s first choice to get relationship questions answered.

 

“I mean, I knew that it was possible.” Peter glanced out the window, “Probable even. Not all regular humans can be turned. The bite can kill. How many times was that lesson drilled into us? I never saw it though. Never even heard about it.” He went quiet for a moment.

 

Stiles was pretty sure that he could fill in the blanks and with everything else going on there wasn’t any need to dig up past ghosts. No need to drive a deeper wedge between the remaining Hales. “Can a failed turning constitute Human sacrifice?”

 

“No way.” Iggy shook his head. “It would have to be a conscious choice and besides, Derek was a Beta. He couldn’t turn her.”

 

“He couldn’t watch her suffer.” Peter said, “He took her there and once it became obvious that she wasn’t meant to...he ended it himself. I found them...him, not long after.”

 

“A noble sacrifice, but one all the same.” Ari said as he joined them. “We know the cause for the unsealing now. Until he is ready we do not need to know more.” He looked over at Peter who nodded.

 

Stiles glanced at Ari, “Does it change anything? Help us find the answers?”

 

“It’s possible.” He said, “I am going to make a few calls and see what I can find. The Emissary informed me that it had been healing, as such, for a very long time. Since your great-grandmother’s generation, probably. It was a simple corruption before. Whatever has nested there has changed that. It is likely that the Fae was introduced in the last 70 years, give or take 10.”

 

“We are looking into the timeframe to see if anything sticks out.” Iggy added.

 

Stiles frowned, thoughtful, going over everything he knew about his town and the surrounding area. “The 40’s?” He questioned and Ari nodded, “There was an internment camp, Oak Creek, I think. There was a riot or something.”

 

Even Ari looked at him a little sideways, “Of course you know that, why wouldn’t you?” Iggy mumbled, half to himself. “I can look into that though. We have a couple of Asia specific Fae riding the list right now so if we can link it to the camp that would make things a lot easier.”

 

***

Dinner that night was a somber affair and Stiles gave the pack just enough detail about the current situation to avoid the trap of telling teenagers not to do something in such a way that they get curious.

 

Definitely a fine line.

 

He managed though, at least for now. Peter’s lackluster appearance was a helpful demonstration of “evil tree trunk is evil” for the puppies at the very least.

 

It took Stiles longer that he wanted to admit to realize that he wasn’t alone in the backyard. “Shouldn’t you be heading for you hotel room?”

 

Raj sat down next to him on the edge of the patio. “I talked to my master. He has spoken to the council.”

 

“And?”

 

“They want me to begin to teach you how to use the void offensively.” He said, not looking at Stiles.

 

“Don’t sound too happy about that.”

 

“Should I be?” He scuffed at the grass with his sneaker. “10 months.” He muttered, “It was 10 months before I was allowed to even watch my master perform offensive void Magicks. I;ve been here...not even a fucking week. This is nuts.”

 

Stiles scowled at him, “Well, let’s see. Did you have an Alpha Pack after you, or some unidentified corrupted Fae? Or I know, how about a potential Fae revolution? No? Huh, weird.”

 

Raj scowled. “Screw you.”

 

“Look, if you can’t handle your own issues with envy I don’t need you here. I’ll figure this shit out on my own.”

 

“I should.” He snapped. “Let you destroy your territory all by your lonesome. Only you aren’t alone here, are you? Family, pack, random inhabitants of this town, I can’t exactly leave them to their doom at your hands, can I? What kind of man would that make me?”

 

“I would never do anything to endanger anyone.” Stiles growled, turning on the older teen.

 

Raj scoffed, “Talk to someone who likes you enough to pretend to believe you.”

 

A flush of heat curled up Stiles spine, searing down to his hands.

 

Raj wrinkled his nose in disgust and shot him a look, “Unnatural.” He scowled, “You want to try out some of you hocus pocus out do it on someone who can’t make you  disappear, rabbit.”

 

Static energy buzzed in the air as Raj’s pupils blew open, expanding until inky blackness seemed to swallow first the iris and then the entire sclera.

 

Stiles backed up quickly before dropping into his closest approximation of a fighting stance.

 

“Cute, little bunny.” Ruj chuckled. “Gonna try to hurt me, little boy? Go on. Try it. I dare you.”

 

Stiles stiffened as the older teen approached and let loose a shockwave of his own sorcery trying to defend against the other boy. He nearly swallowed his tongue when Raj brushed it aside, “That tickles.”

 

Stiles found himself pinned to the fence with what appeared to be a tiny wormhole poised an inch from his face. He puffed up his chest and fell back on his best defence mechanism, “I swear if this ends in the words ‘got your nose’, there will be blood.”

 

Raj shook his head as Stiles, “Little boy, you need to learn something-” He took the little wormhole and tossed it over his shoulder at the cinderblock wall that had once outlined his mother’s tomatoes. Stiles gaped as the tiny thing sucked up the entire wall in a single shot.

  
Raj looked him in the eyes before continuing his speech, “ Sarcasm is the defence of the weak.” He turned to go back into the house. “7pm tomorrow night. My hotel.” He glared over his shoulder, “Alone. There is no room for distractions anymore.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, its been a while, huh. Unfortunately life has been super hectic for the last few months and promises to continue to be so for the foreseeable future, Also the writer's block for Fury is still holding strong, which sucks. What little mental power I have left to devote to my writing has been firmly in the corner of two totally different stories. I am not giving up on this though even if it takes me years to get through I will finish this story, hopefully some of you will be willing to bear with me through this. I am going to post the next chapter tomorrow, as well. Then I am going to try to force through the end of 34 by next weekend after which I have up through 40 completed. Which is why I am going to put this to a vote, would you rather I bulk post everything I have so far over the next couple of weeks and then only post when I have something for this story which could be a long while or would you rather if I spread those updates to once every two weeks in the hopes that I may get over the block in the meantime (no guarantees)? Let me know your opinion in the comments. 
> 
> Thanks,  
> Dire

“I thought I told you to come alone.” Raj raised an annoyed eyebrow at Peter’s truck idling in the motel parking lot.

 

“He’s leaving. My aunt needed to borrow my jeep and everyone else I know  _ has a life. _ ” Stiles called over his shoulder. Peter flipped him off with a grin and backed out of the parking spot.

 

“What’s the likelihood of him actually removing himself from the vicinity?” The older Warlock asked already sounding defeated as the noted Peter parking his truck just a little bit down the road as if humoring them.

 

“Slim to none, honestly. It’s Peter.”

 

“Call him back here then. You could use a target for practice.”

 

“I like you more everyday Mr. Prasad.” Stiles grinned and pulled out his phone to text the wolf. before following Raj into the room. He glanced around “Are we really going to be practicing offensive magicks in here?” Stiles walked over to the dresser and tried to lift the tacky little cat statue sitting out. He let out a snort when he noted that it, and anything else remotely mobile in the room was glued and bolted down. “As if anyone would actually steal that.”

 

Raj shrugged, “I had the less offensive one help me set wards around the room.”

 

“Lennon you mean?”

 

The warlock rolled his eyes, “Yes, Lennon.”

 

“Just checking, you weren’t very specific there.”

 

“I thought it was an apt enough description personally.” Raj rolled up his sleeves and started shifting the furniture around the room. He nodded at one of the dinette chairs, “Move those to the other side of the bed, would you?”

 

Stiles picked up the chair and stumbled slightly as he tried to maneuver it past the platform bed.  Raj pulled a jar out of a shipping box. As he opened it Stiles noted that it was of some kind of waxy substance that smelt heavily of herbs. Raj wiped a white cloth from the same box through the substance and then began rubbing it into the tabletop in careful motions.

 

Stiles set down the second chair beside the first and made his way back to the table to watch the older warlock work. Raj offered him the cloth and reached down for a second from the box, repeating the process. Stiles frowned at the cloth, “If this is going to turn into some Mr. Miyagi shit, I’m out.” He muttered half under his breath as he imitated the other’s careful motions. 

 

“Wax on, wax off motherfucker.” Raj offered. “And no, this is not your training but this should help keep you from accidently disassembling the horny honeymooners next door while we practice.”

 

Stiles flinched, “Should we be spreading this on the walls then?”

 

“It will keep what we do confined to the table. Like a liquid ward, I guess.”

 

Stiles watched the substance sink into the formica curiously. “What’s it made of?”

 

“No clue.”

 

“What kind of answer is that?”

 

“I don’t make it I just buy it. You know what is in everything that you buy?”

 

“Guess not.” Stiles frowned wishing that he could get the answer.

 

Raj sighed, “Less offensive might have an answer.”

 

“Lennon?”

 

“Sure, it’s a magicks sink. Most user Fae use the stuff for training. She seems like the type to know that shit.”

 

“I’ll ask her then.”

 

“Great, you do that then. Where’s the wolf? Once we start that door does not open for anything until the session’s over.”

 

“I’ll text him aga--” Stiles was cut off by a hard knock on the door. He hurried over to let Peter back in. “Took you long enough.”

 

“I stopped for a paper, thank you.” Peter waved a copy of The Daily Beacon in his face before brushing past him and lounging on Raj’s bed comfortably. “You can continue.” He waved imperiously at them and Stiles fought the urge to stick his tongue out at him, choosing instead to turn away from the wolf and focusing his attention back on his tutor.

 

“Teach me your ways, sensei.”

 

“Shut up and sit down, kid. We have a long way to go. First we have to talk about matter and, more specifically, the atom.”

 

Stiles raised an eyebrow, “I thought this was Magicks 101.”

 

“Sure, but first, science.”

 

Stiles shrugged and sat down on the bench seat on the other side of the table. “Right, awesome, science.” He frowned, “We seriously need science for this?”

 

“You want to try unmaking the universe without knowing how it functions, go ahead. Just give me a little warning so that I can make a little trip to anywhere but here before you get into it.”

 

Stiles pouted lightly, “I don’t need science for sorcery.”

 

“Oddly enough, making a cake is a touch less prone to world ending than turning your oven into a black hole.” Raj snarked. “So, Atoms.”

 

***

“Hey bud, how’d it go?” Stiles’ dad greeted them as he and Peter trudged into the house. “Whoa, what happened to your pants?”

 

Peter scowled and made his way back up the stairs, “I swear to God I am going to start washing my clothes in that herbal stuff.”

 

“I said I would buy you a new pair, besides Raj told you not to distract me.”

 

“Whatever.” Peter flipped him off as he vanished upstairs.

 

Stiles sighed and  made his way to the fridge pulling out a can of coke.

 

“That bad?” His dad asked, offering him the bag of jerky that he had been snacking on when they came in.

 

“No, yes. I have no idea.” Stiles chugged half of the can without thought and then rested his head in his folded arms on the tabletop. “It was going fine until grumpy pant’s upstairs made this weird squawking noise out of nowhere and distracted me from what I was doing.”

 

“And caused you vanish half of his pants,  _ again _ ?” 

 

“Yes,  _ again _ . And I’ll say it again, it’s better than vanishing his leg or something so he has nothing to complain about.”

 

“I’m not sure that I would see it that way either, kiddo.” His dad chuckled, “Why’d he make the noise?”

 

“What?”

 

“Peter, squawking noise? Why?”

 

“Oh, he never said. He was too busy getting pissy with me over his pants.”

 

Stiles hated it when his father looked at him that way, like he was a little kid again and totally ignoring the big picture and…”I should probably go find out, huh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Right then, see you tomorrow.”

 

“Absolutely kiddo.” The sheriff grinned at Stiles and ruffled his too short hair. “Love you.”

 

“Love you too, Dad.” Stiles called after him as he made his own way up the stairs.  He frowned a little and glanced around the room before flicking off the light and following his father up the stairs. Hopefully Peter was still in his room after retrieving his spare pants.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that, yesterday got really hectic all of a sudden and I did not have a chance to post this.

“Are you having a staring contest with a pomeranian?” Stiles questioned as he walked into his room to find Peter in his wolf zombie form staring down Armensis who appeared more amused than intimidated as he gnawed playfully on Peter’s skeletal font paw but refusing to look away from the larger canine’s eye. “Are you  _ losing  _ a staring contest with a pomeranian?” Stiles reiterated with a laugh.

 

Peter suddenly shifted knocking the little hound off of his feet and receiving an unamused growl of reproach for his audacity. He scowled at the small dog as it ran out of the room, likely to go and find Magastre. “That thing is a menace.”

 

“Aw, is Petey scared of a widdle puppy?”

 

“Try calling me Petey again, Grzegorz, I dare you.” Peter growled at him  as he pulled on the spare clothes that he had brought by earlier. 

 

Stiles rolled his eyes at him, “Whatever. Anyways, since you are still here, what the hell was that noise you made earlier about?”

 

“Dismay at the destruction of yet another pair of my pants. I’m beginning to think that you just want me out of them, Mr. Stilinski.” Peter leered.

 

“Gross.” Stiles whined. “I do not feel any kind of need to see you naked, Hale.” He fake gagged a few times for effect before sobering, “Seriously though, you kind of spooked me earlier. That’s why the disappearing pants and all.”

 

Peter frowned at him, “I said nothing before you unmade my jeans, Stiles.”

 

“You made the strangest weezy, squawking noise that I have ever heard in my life, Peter.” Stiles insisted.

 

“I certainly did not.” Peter glared at him, “I was simply reading my paper, no squawking necessary.”

 

“I heard you, Peter.” Stiles stressed, “I swear, it scared the crap out of me.” Stiles didn’t mention the fact that the sound distinctly reminded him of the noise that Peter had made when they were burning him alive for the second time in his life.

 

Peter looked a little concerned, which was telling, “Honestly, Stiles, I did not make any kind of noise. Ask the warlock if you want. I was silent, I swear.”

 

Stiles pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Raj.

 

A few seconds passed with Peter staring at him as he stared down at his phone.

 

‘You mean that hilarious yelp that he made when you unmade his pants?’

 

Stiles typed a response quickly, ‘no before that’

 

‘He didn’t say anything before that. Made it even more hilarious I think.’

 

Peter read the response over his shoulder, “Have I mentioned my dislike of that man?”

 

“I heard you, though.” Stiles barked ignoring the older man’s aside. “I heard it.”

 

“Are you sure it was me? You were turned away from me, after all. Could you have been hearing something else.”

 

“It was you.”

 

“But how are you sure of that.” Peter stressed, “I didn’t make any noise and you were concentrating in the opposite direction, Grzegorz.”

 

“It was you.”

 

“But how do you--” 

 

“I can feel you, Peter. That’s how. More so than any other person in this damn pack, I can feel you. You couldn’t sneak up on me if you tried, don’t you get that. I feel you as if you are simply an extension of me. I know I  _ heard  _ you, I  _ felt  _ you. It  _ was  _ you.” Stiles ranted aggressively, panting and out of breath by the end.

 

“I believe you.” Peter whispered in return, turning to the window and opening it, “I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Get some sleep.” He told him as he jumped out the window and vanished.

 

Sleep. Stiles thought to himself as he gathered his stuff together for a shower. 

 

Easier said than done.

 

***

“That’s pretty cool.” Iggy said as he watched Stiles practice, a lump of specially made clay vanishing and reappearing by turns in front of him. “You seem to be getting a hang of this pretty fast.”

 

“I guess.” Stiles muttered as he unmade the lump again. He frowned immediately sensing that something was off, “Damnit.” He grumbled as he tried to remake it unsuccessfully. He reached into the bag that Raj had sent home with him and pulled out another chunk.

 

“Sorry, was that my fault?” Iggy asked cautiously.

 

“Huh?” Stiles glanced up at him, confused. “Your fault? No. It happens every once in awhile. I have a bad habit of unmaking things a little too thoroughly. Hence the control exercises.”  

 

“There are levels of unmaking?” Iggy asked curiously. “What’s the difference?”

 

“Yeah, like the difference between removing the fat from the milk and making it so that cows no longer exists, that kind of difference.” Stiles explained setting the little ball aside, he would have to head to school soon, anyways. “I have to learn how to make what I want happen instead of just erasing the whole problem from existence.”

 

“Kinda like me learning the difference between snow day flurries and apocalyptic blizzard from hell.” Iggy offered.

 

“Yeah, kinda.” Stiles laughed and took a bite of his cold toast. He checked the clock and frowned, “I need to get going, I’ll see you after practice.”

 

“Sure thing, Picking up Scott?”

 

“Nah, Scott has his mom’s car so he’s picking up Issac on his way in.” A beep sounded from his phone and he checked the messages. “Apparently I’m on Jackson duty.” Stiles rolled his eyes and texted Danny his reply. “That’s going to be fun.”

 

“See you later on then.” Iggy grinned as Stiles grabbed his bag and headed to the Jeep.

 

Hopping into the cab he dialed a number absentmindedly as he adjusted the radio. 

 

“What?” Jackson’s voice greeted him gruffly.

 

“Ten minutes.”

 

“What?”

 

“Danny had to go in early, can’t come back to get you and since someone got his car taken away you need a lift.”

 

“I think I’d rather walk.”

 

“I think we’d all rather keep an eye on you, thanks. Ten minutes.”

 

“Whatever, Stilinski.”

 

“Bye, Asshole.”

 

***

“Thank you, Stiles. You’re the Awesomest!” Stiles yelled after Jackson as the other teen took off like a bullet into the school.

 

“Narcissistic, much?” Erica said as she hopped onto his back from behind. Stiles let out a huff of pained breath. 

 

“You and Boydie-bear can take Jackson duty next time.”

 

She cackled, “Boydie-bear? Thats fantastic. I’m keeping that.” Boyd made a disgruntled noise as he swung both his and his girlfriend’s bags over his shoulder. “Love you too, Boydie-bear.” She grinned after him as the large teen started walking to the school ignoring her. Erica pressed the heels of her leather boots into Stiles’ sides “Mush.”

 

Stiles shook his head and tried to shake her off, “I am not carrying you into School, Erica. Besides, aren’t you too cool now to be seen with me?”

  
She hopped off his back and rolled her eyes, “True, true. But you’re so irresistible.” She grinned and pinched his cheeks before running off after her boyfriend. “Bye, Stiles.” 


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block sucks!  
> I am so sorry that this has taken so long to get out but I am going to get up everything that I have currently written up over the course of my winter break and hopefully will get a little more written during this time as well. Unfortunately I have a hell schedule next semester so who knows when I'm going to be able to post in the future but I'm not giving up on the story at all so please have patience with me.

“Thanks for getting Jackson for me this morning.” Danny greeted Stiles as he slid into the seat behind him in Chemistry. “There was no way that I was going to be able to make it back to his place in time.”

“No problem.” Stiles shrugged, casually flipping open his notebook before pausing and turning to look at the other teen more fully. “Okay, so I just wanted to check but tweedle dum hasn’t tried to contact you, has he?”

Danny frowned, “Ethan? No, not that I would answer if he did. I’m probably going to get my number changed. Why?”

“I don’t know just have a weird feeling, I guess. Like, we haven’t seen tail nor claws of the alphas since that night and that’s a little worrisome, don’t you think?”

Danny chewed thoughtfully on the cap of his pen, “As much as that seems like we shouldn’t look a gift-wolf in the mouth…”

“Somehow I doubt they just gave up and made for the hills.” Stiles sighed wearily and ran a nervous hand over his head. “Which means that they are probably planning something.” he finished with a shrug, “Which is sucky because I have enough on my plate right now with this whole Peter thing.”

Danny nodded as he flipped open his lab notebook and began copying the table that Harris had left on the board, “Have you found anything out?”

“Not really.” Harris walked to the front of the room and began to call the class to order just as Scott and Jackson darted into the room as the bell rang. The teacher glared at them but said nothing. Stiles knew that his restraint probably stemmed from Jackson getting there at the same time as Scott. No way would he get away with preferential treatment that obvious.

Stiles frowned at Scott as he slipped into his seat and Harris turned back to the board to start the lesson, “Weren’t you right behind me on the way to class?” he whispered, barely audible to anyone but Scott and possibly Jackson.

Scott shook his head and jotted something down on his notebook ‘Boss called, talk later’.

Stiles’ frown deepened  but he nodded softly and tuned back into the lesson. Why would Deaton have called Scott during school hours? Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good news.

***

“So, Deaton called. Spill.” Stiles demanded as the group gathered around the lunch table, Scott sitting happily between Alison and Isaac and not even hesitating before shoveling his first slice on pizza into his mouth. Shaking his head Stiles settled between Erica and Danny on the other side, stifling a snort as Allison coyly offered her boyfriend a napkin when cheese started dripping down his face.

Scott opened his, still full, mouth to answer only to catch a side-eyed glare from Alison and frown chewing quickly and swallowing the food down fully before he tried again. “He want’s to examine Peter again at the office, he think that he might have a lead on what’s going on.”

Stiles frowned and swallowed a bite of his sandwitch, “So why did he call you and not...I don’t know, Peter? Derek? My Dad? Someone that actually has current access to the beastie in question?”

Scott shrugged as he nibbled on his second helping, “Don’t know. He didn’t really say just told me to bring Peter by later.”

That phrasing made several eyebrows around the table raise. “He told you to bring him? Not to ask him to drop in?” Alison asked a little warily glancing at her Boyfriend before turning to catch Stiles’ eyes.

Scott didn’t seem to notice any tension as he finished off his pizza and started making sad puppy eyes at Isaac’s fries causing the other teen to roll his eyes and push the plate over. He grinned happily and shoved a handful into his mouth chewing quickly and swallowing them down before looking up at Stiles again, “Seemed a little weird to me to, I guess. I asked why he didn’t just call your place, Peter is usually there during the day now.”

Stiles nodded, Peter had been spending a slightly disturbing amount of time hanging out with Ryan when Stiles and the other teens were at school. “Exactly, you barely tolerate the existence of Peter, why would he go to you of all people first?”

“Maybe he just felt more comfortable talking to Scott because he knows him really well?” Isaac offered as he picked up a couple of his fries and returning them to the plate that contained his burger leaving the rest to Scott. “He does work with him.”

“Granted,” Stiles conceded with a shrug, “But it would have made a lot more sense to call my Dad. I would think that he at least vaguely trusts the County Sheriff. What is Scott going to do that My dad can’t? There is no way in Hell that Scott would have a better chance of convincing Peter to go and alone...let’s face it but I don’t think any single one of you wolves would be abale to take on Peter to force the issue.”

Scott frowned, “You think Deaton would want me to force Peter to go?”

Stiles sighed not wanting to upset Scott too much. The other teen loved his job and in turn thought that his boss was the best, it was hard for him to think badly about the older man. “I think that Deaton has his motives for doing what he does just like the rest of us, Scottie-boy. You have to admit that such a roundabout way of doing things it a little bit shady.” Scott didn’t respond just pushed the fries that Isaac had given him around on their plate.

Alison brushed a gentle hand down his arm, “Scott, no one is saying that he’s up to anything bad. But,” She glanced around the table with a frown, “Peter is one of you and the need to not let him walk into a trap is pretty strong among you, especially with everything going on with Stiles. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to him, would you?”

Scott nodded, perking up a little which made Stiles smile as he took another bite of his sandwich watching the others as they all settled into other conversations comfortably. He thought that things might just be okay as long as they all worked to protect their own.

***

"Must we?” Peter questioned with a slight whine when Stiles told him that they needed to go see Deaton.

Stiles rolled his eyes and nodded, “He thinks that he might have a lead on this thing, needs to run some tests or something.”

Peter narrowed his eyes, “And he can’t conduct them here?”

“Apparently not.” Stiles offered with a shrug. “Peter, just go with it.”

“Ugh, fine.” Peter agreed grudgingly, “When did you want to leave?”

“I have to meet Raj at 7 so I figured that if we left around 5:30 we would have a reason to duck out as quickly as possible.” Peter nodded his agreement before returning to the book that he had been reading when Stiles had come in going back to ignoring him completely. Stiles sighed and headed upstairs to change,

***

“What does one even do with eleven vials of blood?” Peter ranted in annoyance from the passenger seat as Stiles pulled into the parking lot of Raj’s Motel. “And then to have to sit through such a, such a...disturbing and--”

“Hilarious?” Stiles offered with a snide grin as he slid Roscoe into park outside the room.

Peter glared at him, “Debasing examination.” He finished touchily.

“On the other hand,” Stiles snorted as they got out of the jeep, “at least he left out the anal prob--I mean, rectal thermometer.”

“You are a horrible person.” Peter snapped before knocking rapidly on the door, “How would you like your teeth examined that way? He pulled my tail and poked me in the liver!”

“Wow, Out of context much?” Raj said with a laugh as he opened the door. Peter scowled at him and pushed past storming into the bathroom. “What’s his problem?”

Stiles grinned, “I think that he’s feeling a little violated.”

Raj shook his head, “Don’t we all.” Stiles laughed and followed him into the room,

“So sensei, what is on today’s training menu?” Stiles asked as he closed the door behind him and closed the silencing ward with a touch.

“Wormholes.” Raj’s words were met with slightly horrified whine from behind the bathroom door.

Stiles grinned viciously, “Oh hell yeah!”


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a good holiday season. Enjoy!

Stiles grinned, utterly satisfied, down at the small wormhole thing that he had finally managed to create. He groped behind him for a pencil and, taking a deep breath, poked the tip into the void space. He let go as it was sucked in and disappeared. It had taken four days for him to get the trick stabilized and less likely to either collapse immediately or suck everything in the vicinity inside, including him.

It was frustrating beyond belief but totally worth it.

He had  _ mini wormholes _ !

How cool was that?

The answer is ‘so cool’, just for reference.

His ability to use his warlock powers was coming along a lot slower than his training as a sorcerer but privately he was a lot more pleased with the results. As long as Ryan never found out. She scared him.

Stiles concentrated hard on the wormhole and managed to shift it slightly to the left before it went unstable and vanished. He sighed, now he just had to figure out how to make the damn things useful in fight, if he couldn’t get them to move at will. He started to build power to try again.

A soft chuff from beside him startled him from his thoughts and snuffed out the tiny beginnings of wormhole that he had managed. Stiles glared at Peter. “Was that necessary? I need to concentrate.”

Peter just let his tongue loll out of the skeletal side of his snout, something that he knew Stiles hated. 

Stiles fought off a gag as he watched the organ flex and move. “Seriously, stop that.”

The wolf shook its large head very deliberately and shifted his whole body giving Stiles an improved view of pumping heart and expanding lungs through its ribcage.

He should not be getting used to the sight of internal organs.

That was not normal.

“Go bother someone else.”

Stiles was fascinated by the fact that even in wolf form the Hale Family eyebrow language seemed to translate. This time Peter appeared to be reminding him that A: this was his loft and B: No one else was around. Derek had gone off to train with the rest of the pack. Peter was still in recovery mode despite being healed. No one wanted him roughhousing with the pack until they knew what the hell was going on with him and how powerful he was like this.

“Fine, go do something useful then.”

“Suggestions?”

Stiles turned away abruptly, “Clothes, Peter!”

“We have the same parts, you know.”

“Clothes!”

The older man rolled his eyes and strutted out of the room to go get changed.

Stiles focused on the air in front of him again willing another black hole to appear. 

“Have you made any progress on creating a barrier for the nemeton?” Peter asked as he walked back into the room pulling a grey shirt over his head.

Stiles managed to not lose focus this time and finally the new black hole popped into existence. “I am hoping that Raj comes up with something. He has gone to visit his mentor to ask what to do.” Stiles shrugged, “Hey, if I master this maybe I can just suck the nemeton, evil Fae and all, into the vast void of space and time.”

He groaned as the form flickered and disappeared again.

“I doubt we have the ten years that is seems like it is going to take you to figure that thing out. We should probably concentrate on other avenues.”

“Dude, Raj says that is impressive that I can manage it at all. It took him a year before he could and another year to master it. I’m doing good. Besides, it isn’t like this is the only thing I am doing, research on figuring out your issues is taking up a good chunk of my time and then school and practice and Ryan and Lennon’s lessons. I’m working as fast as I can here.” Stiles shot back feeling defensive. 

He was doing his best but it seemed like he wasn’t’ the only one that felt like it wasn’t good enough..

Peter flopped down on the couch, kicking his bare feet up onto the coffee table, “You’re draining yourself.” He sing-songed. “How do you expect to get anything done right if you are trying to do so many things at once?”

“And what would you have me give up on?” Stiles snapped.

“Nothing. Perhaps picking one thing a day to work on would help. And honestly, I’m not dying...at least any more than I already am dead. We will figure it out when we figure it out.”

“You are a half-skeletonized wolf thing, something is seriously wrong and we need to figure out what.”

“Oddly enough, I am more concerned with the malevolent spirit trying to posses us then my odd appearance in wolf form.”

Stiles gave up for the moment and lay back on the floor. He stared up at Peter on the couch, “I am too, but that doesn’t mean that I’m putting you to the wayside.”

He frowned, “I’m fine.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Taersin seemed unconcerned. In fact, if you remember he seemed pleased.”

“That is so far from comforting that I wouldn’t see it with the Hubble.”

Peter shrugged, “But it buys us  _ time _ , at least we know that it isn’t life threatening, that what I am and what you are are tied in some way.”

“Do not even bring up the Witchking thing, I’m repressing.”

They fell silent for a few minutes before they heard the loft door slide open. Derek frowned at Stiles and dropped a pizza box on the table, “You’re still here.”

“Impressive observational skills.” Stiles said as he sat up and opened the box, triple meat, nice.

“It’s almost midnight, Stiles, why are you still here?” Derek asked as he made his way to the kitchen.

“My house is officially too busy for me to get anything done.” Stiles offered through a mouthful of pizza.

“Pig.” Derek growled as he tugged the slice from his hand and dropped it onto one of the plates he had brought over. He dropped a bottle of water beside it.

“Actually I’ll have a Co--”

“You’ll have water.” Derek snapped, eyes flashing.

“Water is great, thanks, Water is awesome. So, so...wet?”

Peter snickered behind him. Stiles turned to glare at him and he smirked coolly as he placed a slice of pizza onto the other plate. 

“How did training go?” Peter asked Derek who simply let loose a small snarl in response. “That well, really?”

“Are you sure they play sports?” Derek snapped at Stiles,  “They do nothing but fucking complain.”

“Erica doesn’t but yeah, the rest of them do.”

“I assume you have practices? Training?” 

“We do.”

“Then you tell me what the hell their problem is. They don’t want to run, sit-ups and pull-ups are beneath them, they refuse to actually even participate in tracking practice...”

“By Tracking practice do you mean the weird game of Lethal hide-and-seek that Scott was telling me about?”

“It’s not--”

“Yes, it is.” Peter interrupted, “You always wanted to call it something else but we all called it hide-and-seek when we were training as well.”

“It is a skill honing exercise.”

“Right...hide-and-seek generally is.” Stiles laughed.

“Whatever. How they expect me to train them to fight when they aren’t willing to do any conditioning work, I don’t know.”

Stiles hummed to himself as he thought about it, “I’ll talk to Scott for you but I’m betting the issue is the whole rapid ego and strength inflation that is the bite. Don’t forget, you guys were born with the strength and speed of a wolf it was your starting point so it is only logical that if you wanted to get stronger you had to train. It’s totally different for those guys, they started out weak and then ,suddenly and without any sort of effort, became strong. They think everything about being a werewolf is going to come to them that easily.”

“They are in for a rude awakening.” Peter snorted.

“I’m sure.” Stiles nodded, “I’ll see if I can get through to them.”

“Good.” Derek nodded. He bit into his own slice of Pizza chewing carefully before glancing at Stiles again, “You made first line, right?”

“Huh?” Stiles stared at him confused. “What, oh, yeah. Lacrosse, right. I mean we only have like two games left this year but, yeah.”

“You can join us if you want.” He offered.

“I think your werewolf-y regimens might be a little much for me.”

“I’m not going to have you do the same amount as them but some training would do you good.”

“I guess, yeah.”

“Good, tomorrow night.”

“Wait but--”

“Tomorrow.”

Ugh. 

***

“Seriously, Stiles. It’s so stupid! All he has us doing is situps and stupid kids games. We need to know how to fight. Jackson was saying yesterday that we should just boycott and teach ourselves.”

Stiles smacked Scott on the head harshly, “First of all, are you even hearing yourself? You are considering Jackson’s idea? Jackson?”

Scott shrugged, “He has a point. We have the strength, we just need to learn how to use it.”

“This werewolf thing really has gone to your head, hasn’t it? Derek had you all sparring with Peter before didn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Scott shrugged.

“How many times have you won? Any of you.”

Scott frowned, “He fights dirty and he’s a lot stronger than us.”

“And yet you and the others are all on the same level of strength, yes? Maybe Erica a little less so because she isn’t coming from a sports background but generally?”

“Yeah. What is your point?” 

“If werewolf strength is werewolf strength, how the hell is he stronger than you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Training, you dimwit!” Stiles shoved Scott, rolling his eyes. “How often do you see Peter and Derek running or doing push-ups or pull-ups? Dude, half the loft is covered in free weights and Peter was doing fucking squats in front of the TV last night. They work out constantly! Like seriously, all the time. I’m pretty sure Derek was doing sit-up twists in his sleep a while back.”

“But why? We are already strong, what is the point? Once we know how to fight--”

“Scott, tweedle dum was huge and  **_ripped_ ** do you really want to pretend that any of you would last a minute against one of the alpha’s when you can’t even beat a single zombie beta?”

“If we knew how to fight better.”

“That’s not going to help you if you overexert yourself or pull something because your body wasn’t conditioned to use those moves.”

“We heal, Stiles.”

Stiles glared. Scott was being deliberately obtuse. “And in the second that it takes? That one moment of hesitation is long enough for one of them to put a hand through your chest like they did to Peter. Somehow I don’t expect that we have the kind of luck that would mean the whole pack is going to magically heal because they spontaneously shifted species!”

“We’ll be fine, Stiles.”

“Yeah, you will.” Stiles snapped, “Because you are going to lose the fucking attitude and play hide-and seek until you can track a fieldmouse from ten miles away. You’re going to stop being a dick and do fucking pushups until your werewolf arms turn to jello. And when you feel like you’re about to die of overexertion you are going to go for a thirty mile run after thanking Derek profusely for caring enough to not leave you all for slaughter.”

Scott stared at him his mouth gaping open slightly, “Stiles…”

“No Scott. I am sick of this, I know you didn’t ask for this but you are stuck with it so stop living in lalaland and get your head on right. You need to listen to the people who know what they are doing and stop thinking that you somehow know better. I get it. You dislike Derek and Peter. But you know what? They could have left, too. When the Alpha pack showed they could have hightailed it out of here and not even looked back. Do you get that? They have nothing left here. Nothing but the pack and you all aren’t really acting like something I, personally, would feel obligated to stick around to keep safe.”

Scott looked wounded. “Derek is an ass and Peter is the one that did this to me. I don’t get how you can suddenly be all buddy-buddy with them.”

“I’m not.” Scott made as if to interject but Stiles held up a hand, “I’m not, Scott. But I do respect the fact that even their limited knowledge is more than we have and that Derek at least, is only trying to help you.”

Scott frowned deeply and sank onto Stiles’ bed, “I didn’t want this.”

“No use crying over spilt milk.”

“Yeah well, this isn’t some dairy beverage, this is my life, Stiles. Why can’t I just pretend? That I’m normal, that Allison isn’t going to have to fight against her parents at every turn in our relationship because I’m the monster after their daughter. Everything is going wrong all at once and…” He trailed off.

Stiles slung an arm over Scott’s shoulder but didn’t answer. 

  
There was nothing left for him to say.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck so much, I am so sorry guys! Please forgive me I have been strapped with finishing up my studies and dealing with internship and life in general but I am now completely done. Now I just have to find a job...sigh. Anyways, I am going to post three days in a row for you all to start making up for my annoying disappearing act. Thanks for sticking with me, or if you are new...please don't be scared off by how much I suck at maintaining an update schedule, I promise that I won't disappear forever.
> 
> \--XO Dire

“I’m just going to lay down and die now, feel free to go about your business.” Stiles huffed out between wheezes as he lowered himself to the ground.

Derek rolled his eyes at him, “That is what you get for trying to keep up with the rest of them. I told you to stop twenty minutes ago.”

“Asshole.”

“On the other hand, he actually managed to make it this far, which is impressive to say the least.” Peter commented from his position as temporary punching bag for Erica. He grunted slightly as one of her hits caught him off guard. “Good, again.” He told her and didn’t flinch as she landed another blow on his abdomen.

“Hear that Sourwolf? I’m impressive.”

“Yeah, yeah. You can have five before I want you on the mat, I’m going to teach you how to fall.”

“I think I have that one covered honestly.”

Erica snickered as she threw a kick at Peter’s midsection.

Stiles enjoyed his own laugh as Peter grabbed her leg out of the air, spun her around and tossed her aside. “Don’t be stupid, kicking leaves you vulnerable to anyone better trained than you.” Peter snapped. “You don’t know how to use your legs yet, you barely know how to use your fists.”

“Fall  _ right _ .” Derek corrected. “I’m surprised the sheriff’s kid doesn’t have any self-defense training.”

“I was in karate for a while to help with my ADHD but it didn’t work out very well.” Stiles shrugged, “I know how to shoot though.”

Derek nodded sharply, “Get Argent to hand over some wolfsbane bullets then. But you’re still learning how to fight.”

“Sir, yes Sir. I bet I could make them myself.”

“Stick with the professional version for now, experiment later.”

“Probably for the best.”

Erica whined in frustration as Peter tossed her aside like a ragdoll for the sixth time. “I give up. Knock around Lahey for a while, will you? You broke my nails.” She frowned at her wrecked manicure. “I just painted them last night, do you know how long it took to get them filed to the perfect point?”

“Perhaps if you had spent that time practicing you wouldn’t have broken them at all.” Peter told her as he blocked Isaac’s first punch. “Lahey, seriously? Lose the scarf before you strangle yourself and do the Alpha pack’s work for them.” He snapped as Isaac’s fist got caught and caused him to go stumbling forward. “Who wears a scarf to a fight?”

Isaac frowned at the older Beta but unwound the accessory from around his neck and tossed it to Erica who dumped it on the ground beside her much to his consternation. “Erica!” He snarled.

“It’s a fucking scarf, chill.” She said as she picked it back up and lay it on her lap. “Happy?”

“Thank—“ He was cut off as Peter slammed him into the wall. “What?!”

“Do not take your eyes off your opponent.”

“You told me to take of my scarf.” Isaac whined.

“And if your opponent told you to jump off a bridge, would you?”

“So I could’ve kept the scarf?”

“Only if you wanted to give me something with which to strangle you.”

Isaac frowned, “You  _ are  _ his uncle, there is no pleasing either of you.”

Stiles snickered and Derek glanced at him from where he was checking on Boyd and Scott’s sparring match. “You have time to titter, you have time to do pushups.”

“I do not titter!” Stiles said affronted, “I chuckle manfully.”

“Right.” Erica snorted.

Stiles glared at her, “Your hair is a mess, chickadee, and I think I just saw a spider on your scalp.”

She shrieked and bolted for the bathroom mirror. “Ver!! Get it out, now!”

Boyd glared at Stiles as he moved to follow his girlfriend. Derek frowned at him, “She can fix her own hair, Boyd.”

“Water break.” Boyd muttered.

Scott agreed readily, “Absolutely.”

Derek shook his head before turning to Stiles again, “Mat, now.”

“Oh come on.”

“Now.”

***

“You know, if you wanted me under you, you only had to ask.” Stiles said as he glanced up at Derek fluttering his lashes.

Derek rolled his eyes before standing up and reaching down to help Stiles get up. Once they were upright he turned to glare at a sheepish looking Scott.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to throw it that hard.” He explained as he caught the medicine ball that Erica gently tossed back at him. “Forgot my strength.”

“You don’t say.” Peter snarked.

“The whole point of the exercise is learning to control your strength, Scott.” Derek snapped, “You could hurt someone.”

“I think I would have been okay, honestly, what with the not a fragile human thing and all.” Stiles placated. “He didn’t mean to.”

“He’s a danger to himself and others if he doesn’t figure out how to get his shit under control.” Derek snapped, “You okay?”

“Fine, a bit rumpled from the dude falling on top of me but, fine.”

“Sorry.”

Stiles stared at Derek shocked, “Did you just—“

“Don’t get used to it.” Derek snapped.

“Of course not.” Stiles rolled his eyes at him. “I think we should pack it in for the day anyways, we have Lacrosse practice tomorrow and a game on Friday.”

“I have a history test in the A.M. too.” Erica said. “My dad’ll kill Ver if my grades start dropping too. He already blames him for my new clothes.”

“You dressed like that before you started dating Boyd.” Isaac said.

“Right, but I didn’t start dressing at home until Ver started to pick me up.”

“Fine, dismissed.” Derek said. “Go home.”

“I’m staying at Scott’s tonight, we have an English assignment to finish.” Isaac said as he put his scarf back on.

“Fine. Go.”

“Anyone need a ride?” Stiles asked as he gathered his stuff.

“I have the car tonight.” Scott said with a shrug.

“Boyd’s got me covered.” Erica added.

“Okay then.”

“Actually, can you stick around for a minute?” Derek asked.

Stiles stared at him for a few seconds, “Me? Oh…uh, yeah. That’s fine.”

“Want us to wait?” Scott asked him with a frown.

“Dude, I’m fine, go.”

“Are you—“

“Yes, I’m sure.” Stiles rolled his eyes at his paranoid bestie. “If it will make you feel better I’ll text you when I get home.”

“Call.”

“Deal.”

Scott nodded and he and Isaac headed out.

Stiles set his bag back on the ground and sat cross legged on the floor mat, “What can I do for you?”

Derek ignored him in favor of staring at Peter.

“I see that I am not wanted here. What happened to the buddy system?” Peter said even as he gathered his own bag up and walked toward the door, “I’ll be in the truck then.”

Derek nodded.

He didn’t speak until Peter was well out of earshot even for a Beta wolf.

“You shouldn’t be around him so much.”

“Huh?” Stiles raised an eyebrow at the older man. “Seriously? Peter? This is about Zombiewolf?”

“Yes. Peter isn’t safe. You shouldn’t have to be told that.”

“Yeah, well. What can I say, I like my men dangerous.” Stiles snapped.

He would have laughed at the look of utter disgust on Derek’s face it he wasn’t pissed that the other man thought he could interfere in his life.

“Please don’t ever say it like that again.”

“Why not? Wouldn’t you like me to be your new step-uncle?” Stiles sassed.

“You’re not his type.” Derek snapped.

“Oh really? And what, pray tell, is his type, Derek?”

“Weak-willed and easily manipulated.” Derek snarled. “Anyone he can snare and twist and bend to his will. That’s his type.”

“Right. You know, for someone who claimed that Peter isn’t a sociopath you sure seem to describe him like one.”

“He’s not a sociopath, it is impossible for a born wolf to be a sociopath.” Derek snapped viciously, “We are too close to animal, instinct to protect the pack is too close to the surface. What he is is a narcissist, a sadist, and a number of other things that in a normal human would indicate Sociopath in giant, flashing, neon lights, enough so that a psychiatrist could diagnose him at twenty paces.”

“Finally he speaks his feelings.” Stiles snapped.

“He doesn’t care about anyone but himself!”

“He sure has a weird way of showing his indifference.”  Stiles said, pushing aside sanity and getting all up in Derek’s face. “He could have just left. He could have used you and Lydia to resurrect himself and then just abandoned us all, you realize that, right? And you know what, maybe he has his reasons, and maybe those reasons are purely selfish but even if they are it doesn’t change the fact that you know jack about the Alpha pack or Whitetracker, you have pathetic connections and we would have been dead men walking without him!”

“He isn’t Alpha anymore!” Derek roared, “My betas shouldn’t answer to him, you shouldn’t answer to him. I’m the—“

“Alpha. Yeah, we got it the first twenty times you have used that little tidbit to get your way. You are so fucking high and mighty about that fact aren’t you? Does it make you proud? That you killed your uncle so you could throw bullshit power in a bunch of teenagers’ faces?”

“Don’t even go there.” Derek growled, “He deserved it. He killed her first.”

“And two wrongs make a right? I’m not defending what he did, Derek, but given how you, the one that wasn’t abandoned by his only remaining family to suffer for six fucking years, seem to be reacting to this particular power rush, his crazy-ass seems a little less unwarranted. Question, asshole, ever even bother to ask what happened?”

“What’s to know? He killed my sister, his niece, our family! He is a disgusting excuse for a human being and no fucking better than those bastards barking at the gates.”

“Oh? And what makes you so great a person?”

Stiles was pissed. Derek had no right to judge others’ humanity. At least Peter tried to fucking pretend that he didn’t hate everything and everyone, at his worst Peter didn’t have the bad attitude and arrogance that Derek had shown up with in beacon hills. Was the older Hale crazy?

Hell yeah, crazy with a capital c, bolded and underlined about five times with several well placed exclamation points after it.

Difference was, Derek was just an asshole, as vicious and arrogant as his uncle half the time but without the excuse of mental imbalances in a variety of fun flavors to provide mitigating circumstances.

The difference was, ninety percent of the time, Peter didn’t know what the fuck he was doing and there was no one there to stop him. Derek knew and had people pulling him in the opposite direction 24/7 but he didn’t seem to give a fuck.

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t look at me like that, dickhead. Tell me what makes you so much better than the rest of us? What makes you Alpha, Derek?” Stiles grabbed his bag from the floor and swung it over his shoulder. He was done with this conversation. “The funky red eyes don’t count either.” He shot over his shoulder as he started to walk away.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Derek snarled loudly.

“Oh yeah? Watch m—“


	37. Chapter 37

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I didn’t me—“

“Oh well, that makes it all better then.”

Stiles let his eyes flutter open and winced at the brightness of the lights in the subway. Were they always this bright?

He tried to move and let out a scream as pain shuddered through his body.

“Don’t move!” Peter’s voice ordered. “Not a muscle. Leechbait is on the way.”

“What th—“

“You’re talking. Talking requires your lips to move. Moving your lips involves muscles. I just told you not to move a fucking muscle. NO TALKING!” Peter barked loudly.

Stiles shut up. The man sounded freaked which did not bode well for Stiles.

Stiles mentally assessed the situation. The first thing he realized was that he was very glad that Peter had told him not to move.

The bulk of the pain was rolling from his head and neck, currently being supported by Peter’s hands and several rolled towels. A pain that was terrifyingly familiar. Familiar like that time he fell out of the tree in Scott’s yard, or the great Go Cart incident of 2008.

Broken.

Snapped.

His neck had been snapped.

He felt himself tensing with panic only to have all the tension drain out of him as second pair of hands grabbed his ankles.

“Stiles!” His dad’s voice rang through the room, frantic.

Terrified.

“What happened?! Stiles, talk to me! Can you hear me son?”

Stiles wanted to reassure him.

Or get reassurance.

The second would be great right about now.

“He can’t talk.” Peter snapped.

“Why not? Has he woken up? His eyes are open.”

“Peter is right,” Matt’s voice joined them. “He needs to stay completely still right now until we can get better support for his neck.”

The older man’s eyes stared into Stiles, “Hey, bud.” He murmured softly, “Can you hear me?”

How the hell was he supposed to answer that?

Matt smiled, “He is conscious.”

“How do you know?” Stiles dad asked.

“He just rolled his eyes at me.”

Oh.

Whoops.

Matt looked into his eyes again. “Okay kid, this might hurt but Peter and Derek are draining some of the pain so that should help. Peter and I are going to have to lift your head, just a little, so I can take a peek at the head wound, okay? I need you to stay as still as possible from the waist up but if you can, bend at the waist as we move you.”

Stiles attempted to emulate a nod with his eyes. It appeared to work because Matt disappeared from view and Stiles heard him tell his dad to move back so they would have more room.

The pain was horrendous and if he had been physically able to at the moment Stiles would probably have puked all over the place.

“I know buddy, I know. Almost done.” Matt murmured soothingly over the frantic whine that Stiles was expelling. “Alright, let him down.”

A second later Stiles was flat on the ground again head supported by Peter’s hands. He heard a hiss coming from the man in question and wondered what was wrong.

“Ease off.” Matt said, “No use hurting yourself right now.”

“I’m not the one with a broken neck here.”

“No, but you’re draining enough of his pain to feel like you do. Ease off, he’ll be okay.”

The pain spiked up suddenly before leveling off slightly worse than a second before but tolerable. So long as no one asked him to move again.

Shit.

“How bad?” Stiles’ dad asked.

Matt sighed, “I need help.”

“It’ll take too long for any Fae doctors to get here.”

“I know.” He muttered, “I need Deaton at least. Ari may be able to help out.”

Stiles heard his dad sigh heavily. “Would a nurse help? I can’t get a doctor but…”

“Any trained medical professional would help.” Matt told him, “He can’t go to the hospital obviously but we can’t let it heal without direction.”

“Right. I’ll call her.”

Mama, Stiles realized.

His dad was going to call Scott’s mom.

They hadn’t told her anything yet.

He tensed only to feel peter’s hands tighten on his scalp, a warning.

“What else do you need?”

“Get the nurse, I’ll call Deaton, he’ll have what I need.” Matt said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty clean break but he is in pain, I need to sedate him to work. Deaton will have something strong enough.”

Oh God.

Dog tranqs.

***                                                                                                                                        

The world felt all swimmy. As Stiles opened his eyes he noticed that the lights in the room were a little dimmer this time.

Someone was talking to him, their voice muffled and odd. Stiles concentrated on deciphering what they were saying.

“Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling?”

“Mama?” He blinked the last vestiges of unconsciousness from his eyes and squinted up at Scott’s mother.

“Hi.” She smiled at him softly but the tension lines around her eyes advertised her anxiety. He started to shift only to let out a yelp of pain. She shook her head and pressed his shoulders back onto the mattress, “Lie still, you’re still healing.”

He sighed heavily but obliged, “They used dog tranqs didn’t they?”

“Mountain lion actually.” She corrected with a teasing smile, “Only thing they had that was strong enough to keep you under, even then…you shouldn’t be up yet.”

“Okay, that’s cooler than puppy shots I guess.” He shrugged and immediately regretted the action, “Ow, aw man, what happened to the super healing?” He snapped his mouth closed and stared up at her worriedly.

“I have been apprised of the situation.” She told him bluntly, “You should expect a considerable amount of lecturing once you are up and about.”

“They didn’t—“

“My son is a werewolf, Stiles, and no one thought to tell me. There will be words.”

“It was…is dangerous. We didn’t want to get you, anyone, involved.”

She sighed, “I know what you were thinking, doesn’t make it less stupid.” She poured a glass of water out of a pitcher resting beside the bed…his dad’s bed.

“Not my room?” He asked curiously as he accepted the ice chips that she offered him from a different bowl.

“We needed more room to work.” She said tensely.

He let a few chips melt in his mouth before swallowing them down, “It was that bad, huh.”

“Yes.”                                                                                                                                                                       

She didn’t offer anything else which told Stiles all he needed to know.

He was lucky he was a Fae.

They were quiet for a few minutes. Stiles relaxed, sucking on his ice chips and focusing on the little patterns Melissa was tracing on the exposed hand she was holding.

The door opened and Matt peeked in, “Melissa? How is--? Oh, you’re already awake.” He looked surprised but came inside and began checking Stiles over. “If you make this a habit we are going to need elephant tranqs next.”

Stiles chuckled a little mindful of the little licks of pain moving up his neck with the slightest movement. “How about we just plan on it not happening again?”

“If it were anyone else talking I would say that was obvious but with you, easier said than done is more appropriate.” Matt said as he took Stiles’ face between his hands and gently manipulated his head and neck.

Stiles cringed a little at the ache but was happy to note that it was getting better with movement rather than worse. “How long was I out?”

“Two hours.”

Stiles’ eyes widened, “How long should I have been out?”

“At least six hours.” Matt said bluntly. “Which is why you are not fully healed yet.”

“Right, but I’ll be okay in a few more hours? Only, I have a lacrosse game tomorrow.”

Matt shook his head, “Yes, you’ll be fine for the game.”

Melissa frowned, “Maybe he should sit this one out.”

Stiles frowned, “I’m healing though.”

“I know you are, Stiles, and given what I’ve seen tonight I don’t doubt you’d be perfectly capable of playing Lacrosse to the best of your abilities.”

Stiles grinned at her happily only to be met with a frown, “I don’t think you realize the extent of the damage that this has caused however.”

“But I’m—“

“Not to you, to the pack.” Matt corrected him. “There is a group of terrified teens sitting downstairs half out of their minds with worry because their friend looked dead when they got here.”

“I was sedated!”

“Stiles!” Matt snapped, “Not even a Were would have survived that break. Most Fae couldn’t have healed from that properly either, you were lucky that Peter was able to get you into a semi normal position and keep you there or you would have ended up totally deformed and non-functional from your own healing powers. We would have lost you.”

Stiles flinched. He had known that the injury was severe but he hadn’t realized just how severe. He had a sudden thought, “Derek!”

“Took off after we got you stabilized, probably for the best your Daddy would have snapped  _ his _ neck if he had gotten a chance.” Matt told him. “If Ari didn’t get to him first.”

“Did anyone go after him? He shouldn’t be out there alone with everything that is going on.”

“Second Peter knew you were on the mend he took off to find him. Ryan and Lennon went with him as back up.”

“Have you heard anything from him?”

“Not yet.” Matt finished checking him over and helped him settle back on the pillows. “You should try to sleep more.”

“I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” Stiles said.

“Do not make me get more tranquilizers.” Matt said with a raised eyebrow, “You want us to even consider letting you play you need to be 100% for school in the morning.”

“I don’t get a day off for breaking my neck?” Stiles whined.

“Not if you want to play in the game. Up to you.”

Right.

Fine.

“I’m sleeping, I’m sleeping.” He closed his eyes pointedly and let out a fake snore.

Melissa giggled a little.

He reopened one eye, “Get me up if you hear anything from Peter or Derek.”

“We’ll see.”

“Seriously.” He said through a yawn. His eyelids getting heavy.

“Good night, Stiles.”

“Matt—“

“Goodnight.” The older man repeated.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the last of the make up chapters. Now, unfortunately my schedule is still a little weird and I am going away soon as well so I am not entirely sure when to tell you when the next chapter will be up. It will be in the next two weeks though and I am hoping to be able to update 1x every 2 weeks at least during the summer months but we will have to see how this job hunting thing goes. Anywhoodledoodlepoodle, Enjoy :)
> 
> Dire

Stiles was gently shaken awake.

“I found him.”

He squinted up at Peter, “Wha?”

“Derek. I found him, he’s back at the loft being watched by Lennon and Isaac.”

“That’s good. He okay?” Stiles mumbled.

“You idiot. Go back to sleep.” Peter said.

“Mm’kay.”

***

Stiles woke for the second time to the less than gentle screeching of his alarm clock. He groaned frustrated and turned over in his bed and pulled his pillow over his head.

A moment later he jerked upright and stretched his neck out cautiously. He grinned when he didn’t even feel a pull on his muscles.

Nice!

Iggy poked his head in, “Wanna turn that abomination off if you’re already up? Where did you even find an alarm that annoying?” He asked as he stepped into the room, “Feeling better?”

“Good as new.” Stiles said, as he leaned over to turn off the alarm. He stretched his neck again for Iggy benefit, “See?”

“Impressive.” Iggy said with a slight smile the undercurrent of worry and fear was still thick in the air though.

“I’m okay, Ig.” He reassured his cousin. “Not even a scratch left behind.”

“Shouldn’t have happened in the first place.” Iggy said, “Stay away from him, never be alone with him, Grzegorz. Next time you might not be so lucky.”

“It was an accident.”

“He accidently tossed you into a concrete wall head first?” Iggy snapped, “That’s not an accident, Grzegorz. He was trying to hurt you.”

“Not like this.”

“That doesn’t fix it!”

“I didn’t say that it did.” Stiles told him as he got out of bed, “Nothing is going to fix it, Ignacek. But the fact is it happened and the person that hates Derek the most right now is himself.”

“So he’s sad and that means we should forgive and forget? He’s beating himself up over something that he had a choice in doing so that makes it okay?”

“Fuck no!” Stiles snapped, “It means that we need to work faster on this nemeton thing because, while I would never pretend that Derek Hale is a nonviolent person, the one thing he has prided himself on is his control and he is seriously starting to lose it. That is not a good sign.”

“We _are_ working on it, Stiles.”

“Not hard enough.”

“It’s not the most pressing matter at the moment.”

“Really? Cause Derek just snapped my neck because he is losing control! I’d say this is pretty pressing.”

Iggy had nothing to say to that.

“If you’ll excuse me I have to get ready for school.” Stiles said as he pushed Iggy out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

***

A freshman lunged out of Stiles’ way as he stormed past him through the hall from the coach’s office. Normally he would have laughed at the look of terror on the kid’s face but he had no time for that today. He threw open the door to Jackson’s homeroom to find the teen in question talking to a member of the basketball team.

The chatter in the room died as Stiles slammed Jackson’s much larger frame into a wall one handed. “What gives you the fucking right to dictate my life?” He snarled viciously.

“Whoa, man. Calm down.” The basketball player said as he reached out to pull him off Jackson.

Stiles twisted the other teen’s arm behind his back making the guy grunt, “Back the fuck off, Hoophead. You do not want to get involved.”

“Jesus!” Someone muttered.

“Should we get a teacher?” A girl asked meekly.

Stiles turned his attention back to Jackson, “Did I ask for your opinion of me playing the game today? No? Then what gave you the right to talk to the coach?!” He shoved the other teen into the wall repeatedly.

“Stiles! Oh my God, stop it you’re hurting him.” A hand grabbed his shoulder and the owner found himself in a similar situation to Jackson, “Just in time, McCall, you were next on my shit list.”

He grabbed both teens by the shirt and dragged them out of the classroom and outside where he let them go with a shove toward the wall of the building. They stumbled and almost fell.

“Stiles!” Scott sounded shocked, “That hurt.”

“Good, I meant for it to hurt.” Stiles growled, “What the hell were you thinking?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You told coach that I wasn’t playing tonight.”

“You’re injured.” Jackson snapped back at him, “We need to win this game to get to State we don’t need you fucking it up for us.”

“Fuck you, Whittemore. I’m so injured that your entire class just witnessed me tear into your ass one handed.”

“Stiles, I know that you healed but you could get hurt again in the game.” Scott tried to reason.

“If a fucking alpha wolf can smash me into a fucking wall and snap my neck like twig and I can smash your asses into another wall the next morning you can bet that it’ll take a lot more than an overzealous defense line to take me down.”

“By the way, since when can you smash these two around one handed?” Danny’s voice came from behind them.

“Good question, something to think about after I finish killing these two dimwits.” Stiles said.

He frowned suddenly, “You didn’t have anything to do with this did you? Cause I would feel slightly worse about tossing around the human but only slightly.”

“What exactly did they do?” He asked. “All I got from our frantic classmates was that Stilinski has gone psycho and may or may not be committing cold-blooded murder in the parking lot.”

“They told the coach that I wasn’t playing tonight.”

Danny whirled on them, “Are you stupid?! He’s fine and we would be stuck with Greenburg!”

“Still!” Jackson snarled back, “He got his neck snapped yesterday, he shouldn’t be playing!”

“Your worry would be adorable if it didn’t make me want to throttle you!” Stiles snapped, his whole body tensing up.

“Okay, boys, let’s rein it in.” Lydia snapped as she and Allison walked out of the building, “Homeroom is about to start.”

“After I kill your boytoys.”

“Oddly, we prefer them alive.” Lydia rolled her eyes, “I convinced the class to not report you to the principal…or the cops.”

“And got the guy that had filmed it to delete it.” Allison added.

“After he texted it to me, of course.” Lydia lifted her phone and played a few seconds on the clip loaded up on it.

Stiles watched himself with a grin, “I’m going to need a copy of that.” He told her, “I know I am going to want to relive that look on his face once I’ve calmed down.”

“I think we should head inside before none of us end up being in the game because we all have detention.” Danny commented. “Did you get coach to let you play?”

“Yes, I had to get him to call my Dad at work to confirm that I am fine to play but I’m still in.”

“Ouch.” Danny winced, “Look on the bright side, these two are going to get a lecture and a half from Finstock for making him call the station.”

“Yep, not a fan of cops our Finstock.” Stiles said as he felt tension drain out of his body. Damn Mahelani, always making people feel better and shit.

A man has a right to beat some interfering-idiot heads in.

“Oh man.” Scott groaned.

Jackson glared at Danny, “You can’t honestly think it is a good idea for him to play after last night?”

“I think that it isn’t your choice.” Danny shrugged, “He feels fine to play and his family is fine with it so you need to keep your reptilian nose out of it.”

Stiles snickered and the affronted look on Jackson’s face as Danny smacked him sharply on the nose with a magazine that he had been holding.

“Hey!” He snapped.

“Bad Kanima.” Danny joked as the warning bell rang out. He turned and followed Lydia and Allison back inside, “I’m not covering for you if you are late to class.”

“Tsch, whatever. Do what you want, Stilinski.” Jackson said as he left.

Stiles rolled his eyes and started for the door as well only to be stopped by Scott’s hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow.

Scott refused to meet his eyes, “I’m sorry. I just…We were worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Scotty.” Stiles told him with a sigh. “100% back to normal. You have to stop thinking of me like I’m fragile, I’m not human remember?”

“I’m still not used to that.” Scott said, “Besides, they can pretend all they want but Ari and Val were convinced that you weren’t going to make it when they brought you home last night.”

“Which is stupid, we are immortal, aren’t we?”

“I think there is something that they aren’t telling us, Stiles.” Scott said, earnestness radiating from him.

Earnestness and fear.

Stiles frowned at him. “Scott…”

“No, I know that they will tell us eventually. But I have a bad feeling and--“ He cut himself off, “We should get to class before we end up in detention.”

He took off toward the school building without looking back at Stiles.


End file.
